Forget Me Not
by picimadar
Summary: AU, set in 2011. Heero's life is shattered following a tragic accident, and he voyages to New York to try and piece it back together. "Have you ever seen someone and felt like you've known them your whole life?" 1XR, mild 2XH/3x4. T for language.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello and welcome to my first AU fic! This story takes place in 2011, which you'll be able to tell as you read this chapter. Events in the story happen as they have this year, and most places mentioned, such as hotels and regions of New York and cities in eastern Japan, exist in reality. Some do not (at least to my knowledge), and needed to be made up for the sake of the story. Take this story as essentially present-day with a bit of artistic license.

Please read, enjoy and review. I appreciate all criticisms and comments.  
>-picimadar<p>

**Forget Me Not**  
>Chapter 1<p>

* * *

><p>"<em>Dear Heero,<em>

_ I can't believe you're seeing Japan! You're so lucky… I still have no idea what school would take me, with my grades. I'm still hoping for Columbia… It leaves me far away from you, but I loathe thinking of leaving my beloved Manhattan. Ah, well, no sense worrying now. Don't worry about the distance. You worry too much about everything else, already. You'll be able to visit during holidays, and who knows where I'll go to school? It's a great chance for us both to see the world, and think of all the stuff we'll have to tell each other! I'm excited about this whole letter-writing thing too…. I mean, who even writes letters anymore? We should definitely keep them and show them off when we're old. _

_I put in a few pictures of me and the girls for you to put up in your office and your new place. I hope you like them… we should photo-edit you into some later! There's a shot of your favorite perfume of mine on here. I don't know if it'll last over the air-mail trip, but it was worth the try. I miss you, but I'm so, so proud of you, and I know your dad would have been, too._

_I know you dearly love to fret, but rest assured, everything's fine. My mom and dad are about to leave on vacation. Apparently they didn't get enough of gallivanting around Europe post-college and want to resume now. I wish I could go with them, but I'm stuck here, helping take care of the business and working on my application essays. Emily and I are going to see Madama Butterfly at Carnegie next week. I know how much you hate the opera, so I'm going to have to get a season pass while you're away and soak up all I can._

_Don't you dare worry about me, I'll be just fine, I promise. You better write me a good letter telling me everything about your new place!_

_Love and miss you,_

_ Relena_

* * *

><p>My head felt like someone had doused my hair in gasoline and lit it on fire. Like the fire was slowly tingling all along my scalp, and somehow the smoke was finding its way up my ear and into my brain cavity, inescapable fog making it impossible to think of anything but the pain and burning sensation running almost down to my spine. Eventually the fog seemed to clear, and I became gradually aware of a faint beeping next to my ear: a heart-rate monitor. Suddenly, everything became clear: the sanitized smell, the beeping, the stiff bed I laid in, all of them told me I was in the hospital, but having no idea why, I decided to try and open my eyes.<p>

It was a mistake. The bright lights beaming of what I could see of the white walls blinded me, the light reaching the back of my eyes and multiplying the pain behind them tenfold. Groaning, I closed them again, grimacing, and the room became a flurry of activity.

"Oh my god, he's up. Dude! Welcome back!" a seemingly familiar voice said, but someone clearly stopped him from trying to wake me further.

"Mr. Maxwell, stop. He's not even ready to open his eyes yet. Do me a favor and go call the nurse, alright? I'll talk to him and make sure he's ready for conversation." A voice I definitely hadn't heard before lead to the other man groaning before he left the room. Footsteps approached my bed, and I could practically see the lights dim through my eyelids. "You should be able to open your eyes, now," the voice told me calmly, and I cracked them open again, bracing myself. My vision was blurry, and I momentarily panicked, my abs seizing as I tried to sit up.

"Whoa, whoa!" The man pushed against me, keeping me reclined in the bed. "Just calm down. Your vision will come back once you keep your eyes open longer. Don't get too anxious." I soon realized my visitor was a doctor, a young man with blond hair and clear blue eyes, and he was smiling at me, somehow looking grave at the same time. "Alright, let's get down to it. You've had a bad head injury, I'm afraid, on top of some other bruising." Sitting down on a nearby stool, the young man took out a clipboard and prepared to write. "You were one of the luckier ones. You're currently at Hiramashi General Hospital being treated for your head, which is why I'm here. My name's Dr. Quatre Winner, I'm a neurologist and psychologist here at the hospital. I need to ask you some questions. Can you handle that?"

"How did I get here?" I croaked, my lungs aching and throat burning dry, as I looked around the room. Luckier? Didn't fucking feel like it.

"There was a massive earthquake on March 11, 2011. That and the aftershocks destroyed a lot of the east coast, including the office building you were working in. Fortunately they were able to dig you out, but you sustained some pretty rough injuries. You've been in a coma for the past six weeks."

Six weeks seemed like an eternity. "You couldn't wake me up?"

Quatre shook his head. "We medically induced it for the second half to give your brain and skull more of a chance to heal. We were concerned if you got going again you wouldn't rest it enough. Apparently you're quite the workaholic." He smiled again, that half-smile affecting the corners of his mouth.

A workaholic? An office? An earthquake? What in the hell was his guy talking about? I looked past him as I heard footsteps coming up the hall, and the nurse along with, I assumed, the first speaker came back into the room.

"Hey, dude! Good to see you finally came to! Had me worried for a while. How you feeling?" If it weren't for the tone of his voice, I might have thought he was a woman, his long hair plaited into a thick braid, falling down his back.

"Mr. Maxwell, please. Not yet. I'm not finished with my initial evaluation." Looking chastised, the man named Duo Maxwell threw himself into a chair in the corner of the room, putting his feet up on the low table in front of him and crossing his arms. It reminded me of watching a child who's been told to wait their turn. "Thank you. Now, why don't you tell me the last thing you remember?"

It was a heavier loaded question than I had realized. The last thing I remembered…. Why couldn't I remember anything? Think, I practically begged myself. Remember something.

"It's okay if you can't think of anything right away. You might have some local amnesia… anything directly before the time of your injury might take a while to come back." His words were comforting, but Dr. Winner's furious writing told another story. Looked over and Duo was sitting on the edge of his seat now, staring at me intensely, and I tried harder to remember something.

Just as I came to the edge of the brain-fog enveloping my thoughts, a searing pain flashed between my temples, and I shouted out, clapping my hands to my head in shock. "Okay, okay, enough. Stop. Alright, Nurse, I need you to push sedative now." Dr. Winner took one of my hands, and I opened my eyes through the pain and looked at him, seething. "We're going to put you back under, but I need you to answer me this: What is your name?"

Such a basic question. A question that children have known since infancy, and I simply had no answer. "I don't know," I gritted out, and I felt my eyelids grow heavy.

The last I saw of Quatre he was frowning, watching the medication work until I felt tired, my eyes dropping closed, my arms growing heavy at my sides, but I didn't fall asleep immediately, instead listening to his conversation with Mr. Maxwell.

"He can't even remember his name? What in the hell injury is that?" he asked, the chair scraping across the floor as he stood up, his steps heavy as he approached my bed. "What can we do for him? You said keeping him under would help fix him."

"There's nothing I can do, Mr. Maxwell. It could just be that he wasn't conscious long enough to regain many tangible memories, but I'm not sure… I hate to be pessimistic, but it doesn't look promising. He didn't even seem to know where he was at all. I'm not sure that our… nationalities help anything, but I doubt he even knows what country he's in." Quatre stood up and the two walked to the door. "It may be best to tell his board that for the foreseeable future, Mr. Yuy is going to be unable to return."

"Well, is there anything we can do to make him remember?"

Quatre sighed. "If he had any journals, his emails maybe? Letters or photos… No, hm? I guess he would have lost all that in the collapse… I don't know, Mr. Maxwell. Keep him in your thoughts, and if you think of anything don't be afraid to call me."

Someone and the quiet nurse left, leaving one leaning against the door, hesitating. "Heero, you better come around. There's so much more at stake than you can imagine."

With that, I was alone, and just before sleep enveloped me, I repeated it to myself, _Heero Yuy_, before realizing I didn't even have a face to put to my own name.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Here's chapter two! I'm probably going to update about twice a week, it'll give me a chance to get the sequel to "When You Run Among Shadows" finished, amongst other things.

Read, review and enjoy!  
>-picimadar<p>

**Forget Me Not**  
>Chapter 2<p>

* * *

><p><em>Dear Heero,<em>

_ Work must actually be as busy as you described. I can't imagine what you're going through, trying to run through that place AND getting a degree. It's good they let you use the experience for credits. _

_You probably won't believe me, but I got accepted to Columbia AND Brown! I let out such a loud shriek when I got the mail that the landlady practically broke the door down, baseball bat in one hand, mace in the other. It was possibly one of the more hilarious things I've ever seen. I packed up your things from the dorm like you asked, they're all tucked away in my closet waiting for you. Do you think you'll visit for Independence Day? You'd better! Apparently Chloe and her new boyfriend are throwing an enormous party, and you know how great her parties are!_

_Here's more pictures. I dyed my hair a bit, it's insanely blonde now. It was all Josef's idea… Don't know why on EARTH I still let him have his way with my hair! He always does Catherine's, and her's looks great! Why does mine always look like I should be living in Orange County?... I blame my mother._

_Other than that, life is pretty average. I got a new dress, this gorgeous thing from Bendel's. You'd love it, it's your favorite kind of blue. I'll model it for you when you get back. _

_I'm sorry to hear the board thinks you're too young… just kick their butts. You're smart, you can handle all their old-man nonsense. You've been explaining my own family's business to me since 9__th__ grade, you can handle this. Your dad would be insanely proud of you, and I am, too. I think it's making my friends a bit crazy, all I can talk about is you and how great you are. I love you so much._

_Missing you,_

_ Relena_

* * *

><p>"Heero. Heero, it's time for you to wake up." Groaning, I threw an arm over my eyes, peeved at the pain that radiated up from my ribs at the sudden motion. "Well, he has full mobility of the arm, now. Heero, I need you to tell me what you remember."<p>

What I remember… "The last I've got is you being here, telling my friend that I've got amnesia and can't go back to work. I moved my arm slightly, glaring at Dr. Winner through my one eye.

"So you _did_ hear that… I'm sorry, Heero. It's okay if I call you that, right?" I nodded, ignoring the pain that was already starting to throb behind my eyes. "Alright. Well, it's like this: You have amnesia, that much is certain. The _type_, I'm afraid, is much harder to diagnose, but it could work in your favor. I have a proposition for you, if you're interested." I tried sitting up tentatively, and the doctor didn't stop me. Arching my back, I stretched, lifting my arms over my head and flexing my shoulders.

"Well, let me have it," I said, looking directly at the man now.

"One method that we have of helping patients regain their memory is exposing them to deeper, more meaningful experiences and locations. Since most of your property is still being unearthed, unfortunately keeping you in the country doesn't leave you with many possibilities, but I think I have a few places that you could consider, before it's safe for you to return home by plane."

"Home?" I asked, spitting out the word before I really thought much about it. Where was home? The agony of knowing nothing was beginning to eat at me already, and I'd only been conscious in this state a total of an hour.

"According to your records and your friend, Mr. Maxwell, you're originally from Tokyo, but you spent many years at a boarding school in New York City. Most of your property is there, but you came back here several years after the death of your father to begin managing his business as you came of age." Closing the folder he had in front of him, Quatre leaned over the bars at the end of the bed. "None of this seems familiar, does it?"

I shook my head, another mistake, and hissed, pressing the heel of my hand to my temple. "I'm afraid not, doctor."

"I was afraid of that. Well, part of the deal with you returning to New York is that you'd need someone with you who knows your past well enough to help guide you through the process. As we can't find many of your personal records, we don't know if you had a girlfriend or friends or family there who could help…"

A girlfriend. I couldn't even remember if there had been anyone I loved left behind here, apparently in Japan, or on the other side of the world. I could have been _married_ for all I knew, and have no idea. The thought sickened me, driving my heart into my stomach.

"…. The good news is, Mr. Maxwell has offered to accompany you back to New York for the duration of your stay there. I also have family in the area, and would be happy to come along as your supervising doctor. I don't believe introducing anyone new to the situation would help you, and I believe your company would prefer to keep your condition more private, for the time being."

"What's all this about a company? I don't remember anything about any company…. And my parents? They're dead?" The news wasn't so much a surprise as a strange enlightenment. Though I had no memories whatsoever, I expected the mention of my own flesh and blood to elicit some preternatural response. Since it didn't, I assumed I had lost them long ago.

"Yes. I've actually asked your friend to come back and give you some more explanation, but only if you're up to it. Exposure to things like this can be a lot to take in, and I don't want you to get overwhelmed." I looked at him, and apparently something in my face relieved him. "Alright. I'll send him in when he gets here, but you page me right way if you feel any pain again. Don't push yourself; the last thing I want you doing is trying to make yourself remember and convincing yourself of memories that don't truly exist." He stood up, straightening his white coat and smiling. "I've got some tests scheduled for later this afternoon, a few brain scans and a bit of blood work. Try eating something, if you can."

He closed the door behind him, leaving it open a crack and I looked over the side of the bed, searching for some controls for the bed. Finding them, I adjusted the back, allowing me to relax while still sitting up. The nurse came shortly, bringing in some soup, crackers and a green, gelatinous substance I could only assume was dessert, several pills in packets on the side. I started on the soup, burning my tongue several times before finally stirring it to a temperature where it was enjoyable, if bland. Just as I finished, the pain started again, working its way up inside my skull and along my right side, and I opened the pill packets and swallowed them, finishing the glass of water. Just as I worked up the courage to start on the gelatin, I heard a flurry of exasperated voices and heavy footsteps, and Duo Maxwell came into my room, closing the door and locking it, almost catching the nurse in the door as he did.

"Hey, Heero," he said, taking a seat next to the bed, a stool putting him at my eye-level. "How you feeling?"

I had to think about my answer; it had been a while since I had thought about how I felt, instead trying to wrack my brain about what I _had_ felt, at some point in the past. "Okay," I finally answered, hoping to keep that portion of the conversation short. "Dr. Winner said you had some things to explain to me."

"Yeah!" Duo said, pulling out a laptop, taking my tray of food and stashing it on the table behind him, replacing it with the computer. "I figured I might as well give you the schpeil you give new clients about the company… You always hated this video, but it does the job." Flicking through a few screens, he found the file he was looking for and opened it, turning up the volume slightly. For some reason, I felt perturbed at the lack of organization of the man's computer, the way his files were arranged, the simple hardware he used…. How could I know so much about computers and not even know what I looked like?

The video started, a very typical male voice speaking.

"Founded in 1985, Yuy Industries has been producing quality, dependable computer software for over twenty years. You can find software written by company engineers and even Mr. Yuy himself in thousands of automated household products including refrigerators, timers, security systems, and computers alike. Standing the test of time, Yuy Industries is known internationally as a benchmark for quality and ingenuity."

Duo looked at me as the screen changed to a view of their manufacturing floor, the video explaining that all the company's hardware was fully integrated with their software, and I could tell his was hoping the shots of what, surely, had been where I worked would help jog some kind of recognition in me. The plant looked much like any other, but the whole explanation of the company helped explain my apparent intimate knowledge of computer science.

"So, that's the job. I'd take you back into the office, but it's kinda…. Gone." Duo looked sheepish, and I realized he'd been expecting me to be angry.

"Well, where's everything taking place now, then?" I took the laptop and started working on it, organizing his files and reformatting, and Duo watched me, surprised, before speaking.

"The company's got offices globally placed, so manufacturing and a lot of the main staff got transferred… at least those that survived." Swallowing, Duo looked at me, and I noticed, for the first time, a long set of stitches resting on his neck and disappearing into his shirt, the wound an angry red. "So we're in a good place. We've got temporary offices set up, and the board's gonna take care of things while you're away. Don't even worry about it." Taking the laptop off me, Duo went to load a different file and picked his computer up, shaking it. "I forgot you forgot… I always tell you never to touch my shit." Laughing, he abandoned the computer.

"So, anything else you wanted to know?" He waited on me, patience clearly not his virtue as he fidgeted in his seat.

"How did my parents die?"

He grimaced. "Well… You sure you wanna hear this? I don't want you to do any freaky 'my brain's gonna explode' stuff." I rolled my eyes, already wondering what criteria I used to pick my 'friends', let alone my employees.

"I'll be fine."

He fidgeted again, changing postures before clearing his throat. "Okay, well… Your mom died when she gave birth to you. She was really pretty, American. I think they met while your dad was in New York on business… But yeah. He died from a heart attack three years ago. After that you came back from school in New York and started working with the business while you got your degree." He looked at me, shaking his head. "You really don't remember a thing, do you?"

It was my turn to sigh, clenching my hands, exasperated. "No, I don't."

Duo frowned before the expression turned into a devilish grin. "Well, you look good enough to me, and we've got the doc's number. What do you way we jailbreak you out of here, get you to see some things?"

Just the idea of seeing the outside world was almost irresistible, and I climbed out of bed almost immediately. "Wait, what am I going to wear?" I resisted the urge to become embarrassed, the thin hospital gown not providing much privacy. Duo grinned even more, pulling a bag out from by the bed and throwing it to me.

"I got you covered. Everything you need'll be in there. I'll letcha get dressed." Duo went to leave the room, but my curiosity was piqued.

"Wait. How did you know to bring this?" Duo turned slightly, saluting me with a few fingers.

"Even if you don't know me, I _do_ know you."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Here's chapter 3. Enjoy!  
>-picimadar<p>

**Forget Me Not**  
>Chapter 3<p>

* * *

><p><em>My love,<em>

_ I'm sad you didn't come back for Thanksgiving, but I guess since it doesn't even exist overseas it makes sense for you to stay. You'd better come home for Christmas, or my mom will just have a snit. You know how she is about the Holidays. I think she's putting up decorations as we speak._

_I can't wait to get out of here. I love my parents and I LOVE New York, but living with them is so tiring. I'm not a child anymore, I'm in college, I want to be able to hang out with my friends and have fun! (Or at least all the fun I can manage without you here with me.) I'm thinking of moving out, soon, to Brooklyn of all places. A few friends have places there, apparently it's nice, and so I might split a loft with Emmy or something. _

_It's good to hear that the business is doing well, but you've barely told me a thing about what's happening with you? Don't you ever leave the office? Just joking, mostly. Get some friends and get out there. Life's too short to spend it working all day. You'll be sitting on this huge pile of money and doing nothing with it! _

_I'm still looking into transferring over to school where you are… it looks more complicated than I thought though. I'll have to finish up the year here and then I can come and see you! Can you imagine? I adore Tokyo too, so I imagine we'll be seeing more of the country than the four walls of your office and suite!_

_I love you with my whole heart. Missing you,_

_ Relena_

* * *

><p>If it was possible to get drunk on sunlight, I was. Duo tossed me a pair of sunglasses to wear around, since the weather was beautiful, but the sun tended to cause my headaches to worsen. Looking around, I took in the area surrounding the hospital with greedy eyes, tired of all the time spent trapped in that tiny, empty room. Even the plain sidewalks were clean and bright looking, and I found myself compulsively walking along through what remained of the city. I stood, startled, as we walked up the block, Duo following along easily. I wasn't sure what I had been expecting, but when we rounded the corner all I could see was ruin.<p>

Buildings had been completely torn apart; before the storm Quatre had described it had been quite the sight to behold, he had said. I couldn't imagine being awake during the event itself, although taking in my head injury and the others I likely had been when the initial quake hit. Duo stood next to me quietly, watching me as I looked out over what I had expected to be a city, whole and undisturbed.

"Storm sure did a number, eh?" he asked, likely hoping I wasn't about to fall comatose again.

"No kidding," was all I could think to say. Why did the change bother me so much? "I think… I think I remember how it was supposed to look out here."

Duo cocked his brunette head at me curiously. "What do you mean?"

"It's like… I can't put my finger on it, but I know it didn't look like this last time I saw it. I wanted coffee, and I started walking this way. There must have been a place around here sometime before the quakes that I've been before." I felt relieved myself at the news, and it must have shown in my face, as Duo smiled broadly.

"Well, that's good to hear! Not like you to be so wordy, though…" I raised one brow at him and he laughed. "See, that's more like it. You'll be back to your old self in no-time flat." He patted me on the back, a familiar gesture that I didn't quite know how to interpret. Who was my old self? Did I _want_ to go back? I couldn't, despite being awake the entirety of the night before thinking, remember what any of my old life had been like, but I couldn't shake the feeling of mild dread and anxiety that washed over me whenever I thought of returning to work.

Turning away from him again, I surveyed a different side street nearby before he called me, motioning for me to fallow. My feet felt light as feathers after being in bed for days on end, but my legs were weak, already betraying how much I would need to rebuild in muscle from my month and a half of sleep. Sighing, I picked up my pace to catch up with Duo, and asked him where we were heading.

"Well, you didn't think we were gonna stay here all day, did you? Besides, you probably can't walk all that far right now, right?" I cringed slightly at him pointing out my weakness, but at the same time I was surprised and grateful for his thoughtfulness. "Okay. I called a car, it should be here any minute. I figured we could go, see where your place is… or at least where it used to be, check out your dad's grave site, things like that. I don't know…" he paused, looking at me solemnly while the black town car I assumed he'd called pulled up. "I guess the problem is I don't really know what was important to you."

I wanted to hear more but he left, climbing into the side of the car farthest from me. After telling the driver some directions he looked over at me, and I stared at him pointedly, urging him on. "I mean, you work _all the time_. Like, probably an unhealthy amount. But you seem to like it.. I mean, you're really good at it. It's too bad there's not really anything left of the tower now, or I'd show you your office. I guess what I'm saying is, I know you as a person, but I don't know _about_ you. It makes it hard, but hey, I'm the best you've got!"

He smiled, but I could tell Duo was upset he couldn't do more to help me. I had either been a good friend, a great boss, or so unbearable to everyone else that he had taken pity on me. The last option was more than I wanted to consider, and I felt the knot in my stomach return. "What was I like, before?"

Duo visibly bit his tongue, clearly searching for the right words to say. "Well, it's hard to explain… You were always kinda distant. You didn't like anyone too chatty, or too forward. Oh man, there was this one time with your old secretary Yukari." He paused, watching me for a reaction. "Well, if anything was gonna spark your memory of work I'd have thought it'd be that. Let's just say you came into work for your birthday last year and she was… the decorations _and_ the gift. You walked right past her into your office and shut the door. Barely even looked twice, I swear to god. Funniest thing I may have seen all year." He was almost crying now, slapping his hand against the plastic handle of the door as the car rolled to a stop. I murmured a thank you to the driver and stepped out after Duo.

We'd arrived at a private, quiet cemetery. Several headstones and memorials had been shaken off their foundations, and men and women were working throughout the premises righting them, replacing flowers and maintaining the grounds. "I'm pretty sure it's over here somewhere," Duo said, and I followed him obediently. How pathetic is it to not know where your own family is buried? I felt ashamed of myself, almost angry that I had been so unlucky.

The thought quickly faded as I looked around, seeing spot after spot of turned up topsoil where the dead from the disaster weeks before had been buried. I really was one of the luckier ones. I had my life, still, even if I didn't know what in the hell it entailed. We walked, quietly, and I watched as Duo tried to find the grave, scratching his head as he stared down the rows.

"Oh, right!" he practically shouted, taking off at a brisk pace away from me toward a large, ominous mausoleum in the distance. "This is it. Your dad wanted to be buried with your mom, so here they are, side by side."

I looked at the inscriptions, kneeling down and reading the words carefully. _Beloved Mother, Loving Father, _they read, and I waited, hoping, wishing for some temporarily lost and confused emotions to surface.

I was staring at where the bodies of my own parents lay, and I felt nothing. Minutes passed, and they felt like hours as I waited for some semblance of a soul to come back to me. I should feel the deep, tempering loss of my parents, and instead all I felt was the hollow at missing myself, my own identity.

"We should head back," Duo finally said, quietly, and I stood, nodding to him.

"Dr. Winner'll be waiting for us."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Enjoy, everyone!

**Forget Me Not**  
>Chapter 4<p>

_Heero,_

_ I haven't heard from you in a while. I guess it's just because you're so busy… at least, that's what I'm hoping. I hope you're still getting these letters. The emails you send are so impersonal…. _

_Emily's dad's really sick, looks like cancer. I'm hoping they'll be able to treat him quickly, but without his business my father's going to have a tough time keeping up, especially in this market. All he can talk about when I'm home is how much my 'education' is costing, and why I wouldn't go into business instead. Can you imagine? Just the thought of a business course, let alone math, makes me want to close my head in a desk drawer. Hopefully we'll get past this quickly and I can move out in the summer._

_You had better at least visit for my birthday. It's been ages since I've seen you. Don't you miss me? I hate waking up in an empty bed, or getting breakfast at Bonjour on my own on the way to class… I just want to hold you and kiss your face and smell that cologne you always wear. My heart aches all the time for you. _

_Don't get too lonely. I'm always here if you want to talk to me, you know that._

_Love you,_

_ Relena_

* * *

><p>"Where in god's name have you two been?" Dr. Winner was, in a few words, fucking furious. His eyes were practically blazing as he threw open the door, sticking an arm out stiffly for us to walk in. Duo hung his head, glancing back over his shoulder and giving me the best cross between a puppy-dog and "I'm sorry" look I'd seen.<p>

At least that I could remember.

"No, please, take a seat. I'm here until ten." Quatre was easily as angry as I could have ever imagined him. Seeing the anxiety in the young man's generally happy face made me feel uneasy, like a child who knew they were about to be thoroughly chastised. "I can't believe you would just take off like that. Don't you have any sense? What if you'd had another migraine, or fallen into seizures?" Sighing, he ran a hand through his blonde hair and motioned for us to actually sit down, joining us. "I'm sorry, gentlemen, I just take my job very seriously and I don't appreciate being usurped." Shooting Duo a cutting glare, he continued, Duo slouching down further into his chair in embarrassment. "That said, tell me how it went. Any success? What did you see?"

"We just wandered around for a while, and then visited the cemetery." I tried to be as succinct as possible, closing my eyes as I talked, begging my brain to spit up something familiar. All I got was what I'd eaten for breakfast that morning and the reminder that I had no cell phone.

"Anything come back at all? Any familiarities or sensations?" His faithful clipboard was out, the yellow lined paper already half-full with notes.

"Not really. When we left I wanted coffee and I just started walking like I knew where I was going…. It's hard to explain." I paused, and he looked up at me, nodding at me slightly to continue. "It's like… I knew the place was there, but I couldn't tell you how to get there, or what the place was called, or how I knew. It's fucking frustrating." I cringed at my choice of words but the doctor was completely unfazed, continuing to write.

"I understand what you must feel, but it's good that you're getting any kind of familiarity with your surroundings. With the city upside-down I'm sure it's not easy, but I have good news: since you managed to go around today without any issues, I think you should be fine to leave for New York at the end of the week." I should have been excited, I suppose, but for some reason hearing the name of the city didn't elicit any kind of adventure in me, as it clearly did for Duo, who was once again fidgeting next to me. "I'll have to run those tests this evening like I said, and that will determine if your brain will be fit for the flight. I don't have any doubts that you should be alright." He stood up and checked his beeper as it chirped in his pocket.

"Looks like something just opened up in the MRI schedule. You ready to go in now? It's an easy procedure, it shouldn't take too long." I nodded, standing up and looking back to Duo.

"You should go and get your stuff in order. I imagine whoever it is that's your boss now will want to know where you're going. Tell them I'll pay you later, that the time there will be indefinite." Duo nodded, clapped his hands together briefly and took off out the door in front of us. I rolled my eyes and took off the jacket I wore, tossing it over the end of the hospital bed and following after Quatre.

The corridors smelled like sanitizer and the smell of flowers that wafted out of the neighboring rooms. We took an elevator down two stories and I realized, quickly, that I was still one of the luckier ones. People lay on beds in the hallways, hooked up to all manner of tubes and monitors, some groaning in pain. Others were crammed into the rooms I could peer into as we passed, three or four people sharing a room half the size of mine.

I began to feel guilty. I had money; that much was obvious, but how much? How had I earned this special treatment? I was beginning to reach my boiling point, and I consciously made an effort to remain relaxed. The last damn thing I needed was another headache.

"Come right on in. They'll need you to change back into a gown and get ready. I'll be back in a few minutes." Smiling again, Dr. Winner left, and the nurses on duty approached, one young man handing me a gown and the other explaining, as I changed behind a curtain, what the contrast agent would do in my blood and how the procedure worked. I felt like I had heard it all before, and since my company made medical equipment it seemed likely I really had.

Clambering less than gracefully into the gurney, I waited as the doctor came back, sitting behind a glass panel and pressing a button to talk to me, saying he was beginning the procedure. I felt, vaguely, like a subject on the television show _House_ MD, and it was disconcerting.

"Don't move around if you can help it. I'm going to ask you questions, and you don't have to answer, but think about your answer in your brain. I'm hoping we can see what brain areas are affected by different memories. You ready?"

I fought the urge to nod, instead saying "Yes." The noise from the machine was strange and loud, but I learned to ignore it, instead listening for Quatre's voice.

"Alright, Heero. When you were at the cemetery today, what did you feel when you saw the graves there?" I thought hard about it, the feelings of doubt and irritation, the emptiness at knowing so little about my own past, and next to nothing about my future. "Great. Now, when you left this afternoon, how did it feel when you realized you were going to get the coffee? What did you think about when you became conscious that you were heading for a place you didn't really know?" _How fucking badly I wished I had at least gotten a coffee_, I wanted to say, but instead I thought about the overwhelming feeling of _wrong_ that had washed over me as I'd stood outside, looking at the half-collapsed buildings.

"Alright, that's probably enough for now, Heero. I'm going to let the machine finish the scan and we'll move on to blood work and your evaluation." I changed back into the clothes Duo had brought me, thankful for the full coverage only real pants could bring, giving a glare to the nurse, who stared at me just a little bit longer than necessary. Following the doctor back to my room, a nurse was found waiting there to take my blood samples.

"Well, I have great news and bad news. The bad news is that your explicit memory seems to be quite damaged, or very well hidden. The brain areas we would expect to be active when you think about the death of a parent or major loss such as that simply aren't reacting at this point." I frowned, but Quatre continued. "The great news is that your implicit memory is functioning very well. That feeling of 'knowing' you got when you walked down the street means that somewhere your brain is storing a lot more information beyond what you do at work. It's remembering learned behaviors that aren't necessarily something you do every day." He put down his trusty clipboard and stood up, ready to leave the room. The nurse pulled the needle from the arm and held a cotton ball against the vein hard, stopping the blood flow.

"I'm not 100% sure what's going on, but I'll be more confident about it when we get you back to New York. There's little chance you've been there recently, we couldn't find anything in your bank records about plane tickets there for over a year. It means that anything you remember from there is stored, useful memory, not every day, frequently used data." The words were pouring out of his mouth at such a rate I stopped paying much attention beyond the first half. He was clearly excited and loved his field, but I was exhausted. It must have showed, because the nurse excused herself and Quatre followed.

I collapsed into bed, but the only thing I could wonder was what was in New York I would be visiting for. As far as I had read the company had no interests there, keeping mainly to east Asia and the west coast of the United States.

Just as I had felt that morning, I could just tell something was there I should remember. Something important… I just couldn't tell what.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Sorry that this update is a day late! I kept forgetting to upload the stupid document so I could post it at work. Read, enjoy and review! I love all your comments :)

-picimadar

**Forget Me Not**  
>Chapter 5<p>

_Dear Heero,_

_ If you want me to stop writing, I will. I don't even know if these are just getting eaten by my mailman or getting to you. I'm hoping I'm not writing for no reason. I get it if you don't want to write back, but acknowledging what I'm saying would be nice._

_Anyways, I'm not going to be able to call anymore. I've gotten backed up on my phone bill and I'm a bit short on cash at the moment. I'll finish out the term here, as it's almost over, and then I'm not sure what I'll do. Don't worry though, you know us Darlians. Always able to get out of a pickle._

_Thanks for the birthday gift. The flowers were really beautiful, but I wish you'd been able to give them to me in person. Why didn't you come and see me? You said you would… you're not one to flake out on your promises. It disappointed me a lot. _

_I hope I'm not a disappointment to you. I know I'm going through a lot right now, so maybe it's just better if we cut this off, at least for now. I don't want to make you be worried, or worse, embarrassed by me. I guess no one knows you're with me though, over there. You're not much of a sharer, and the press here doesn't really care too much about us anymore. _

_Maybe I should just come over there and visit you, if I can save up some money for the ticket? I miss you._

_Love,_

_ Relena_

* * *

><p>The first thing I remember was it being warm. Sun was beaming down on us, warming me up in the suit I wore, making her lean away from me slightly and shed off her sweater. We were, most definitely, an <em>us<em>. She said something, laughing as she pointed to a few people in the distance, but I couldn't understand what she said. I kept trying to ask her to repeat herself, but my lips wouldn't move. I was just there, frozen, and decided I may as well enjoy the ride. I took in the way the girl looked as she sat next to me; long, honey-blond hair that reached midway down her back, cut into layers that added waves and texture to it. The way it caught the light made it irresistible, and I had a mild out-of-body experience as I reached out and touched it, running my fingers along the highlighted and soft strands.

Leaning over, I kissed her on the head, and she smiled at me brightly, her cheeks rising to the point that she closed her bright blue eyes before looking back at me and returning the gesture, kissing me lightly on the lips. The kiss deepened, and I found myself grasping onto the back of her head, pulling her closer to me, before a voice chastised us.

"Yuy, keep it PG on the grounds!" The girl pulled away and blushed, the scarlet colour adding to the beauty of her face as she smiled wryly.

"Will you miss me?" she asked, and I felt myself nodding, taking her hands. "Good. I mean, it's not good, but I'm glad. And besides, you'll come back and visit sometimes, won't you? It's only a few years. We can be together again at Thanksgiving."

"I'll be around, and we can phone and email." My voice sounded different, younger… laden with emotions I felt but couldn't explain.

"I'm going to write to you, too," she said, smiling and standing up. "I got your street address before, and I'm going to write to you _all_ the time. I figure it'll give me something interesting to do while you're away, besides listen to Emmy's gossip and read." She danced away from me slightly, the blue sweater of hers hanging over her arm. "Come on, let's go, I'm hungry, which means Chris is probably _'wasting away'_." She amped up the dramatics, flinging an arm over her eyes as she backed away, chasing down the few people she had pointed to before, her blond hair swinging behind her.

As I stood up, I realized a second important detail: I was dreaming. Of course, remembering you're dreaming wakes you up almost instantly and I sat up in bed, slightly dazed. What kind of dream was that? Who was she? It didn't feel like a dream… it was predictable, it had felt so _real_… I shook my head, refusing to get my hopes up, instead heading into my bathroom and taking a shower in the small stall there. The hot water running over my skin awakened me, and the sterile smell of the hospital-provided soap stinging my skin slightly. I stepped out, dried off, rubbing the towel through my thick, dark hair, and wiped the condensation off the mirror to look at my reflection.

It had taken getting used to, putting a face to my name, a name to my being. According to the nurses I was handsome, but the stubble I was sporting irritated me, and I picked up my razor, rubbing shaving cream over my face. My skin was a dark tan, a courtesy gift from my father, along with the curve of my eyes. The dark hair was his as well, but the eyes I got from my mother, dark blue and offsetting compared to my similarly dark eyes and hair. Just as I raised the razor to my face and began my first stroke, Duo flew into the room, jarring me. I glared at him, putting the razor down on the side of the sink.

"Oh, good, you're up!" he said, walking almost into the bathroom with me. "I've got some stuff packed up for ya, just some clothes to get you by until we can get you reoutfitted in New York. I did your check-out papers, too, so we're good to head off for the airport as soon as you're ready." Duo, never doing anything gracefully, threw himself into the nearby chair, snapped open my morning paper and began to read, ignoring the chagrined look I was still shooting at him. Realizing it was a waste of energy, I closed the door swiftly and continued my morning routine.

Routine. I was another thing I had been forced to re-learn. My body woke up at 5am every day, regardless of when I set my alarm, and I was up, eating and showering before 5:30. By 9, I barely knew what to do with myself, having read my paper, covered the missed paperwork from my now deconstructed office. I think the major shock came from the investors and the board, who had been more than stunned at the fact I had picked up at my work so quickly. I couldn't tell you what the names of half our products were or who my own employees were, but I could program, plan and invest like a fiend. Apparently that MBA was worth the investment.

"Dude, let's go!" Rolling my eyes, I put my razor down, patted my face dry and put on some clothes, dressing semi-casually.

"When's the flight?" I asked, running a hand through my unruly hair and taking the bag from him.

"Three hours. We've got some time, but we're not flying private so we have to check in early. You ready to say goodbye?" He looked at me with mock dramatics, and I stifled the urge to laugh. The hospital room might be all I'd known, but I wouldn't be sad to leave the memory of it and my time there behind.

Quatre joined us in the lobby. "Good morning," he greeted us, passing us each two steaming cups of coffee. "I hope you two don't mind if I get a ride to the airport with you?" Duo and I both shook our heads. Quatre was a good man, but overly prudent. We walked outside and the city was overcast, dark, threatening clouds billowing over from the direction of the ocean.

I was going to make myself insane. How did I know where the ocean was? I hadn't even left the hospital more than a few hours; I certainly had no idea what the coast even looked like here. How could I know where the ocean was but not remember my own father's funeral? The irritation must have been obvious on my face, because Quatre patted my arm before leaving to sit in the front seat of the car.

"You'll get more used to it as time goes on, I promise. I have a feeling that this trip will really help you." I couldn't help but feel uplifted by his words, his optimism and nearly unshakable cheeriness rubbing off on me. Duo gave me a thumbs-up in agreement and the driver pushed the gas, leading us off to the airport.

It wasn't a long trip and we rode mostly in silence, taking in the early morning sunrise. Its beauty contrasted harshly with the devastation still present even this far from the path of the tsunami, bringing light to a place that was shrouded in depression and pain. It was hard to look at, knowing I had once had so much invested in this place, but I continued to look out the window, sipping my coffee as we passed massive construction crews, men and women already hard at work to restore the city to its former glory.

"We've sponsored a lot of relief efforts, hmm?" Duo asked, and I nodded.

"Seemed like the right thing to do. We were one of the bigger businesses in the area, and we're up this quarter. I didn't want to just sit around and do nothing, especially considering the situation farther north." The brunette man stared at me, wide-eyed, and for a moment I had to think about whether or not I had spoken English. He shook his head before looking away, and I couldn't help but ask why.

"It's just… unlike you to care, I guess," he answered sheepishly. "I don't mean for that to sound so bad, but before, you might not have been so bothered by anyone else's misfortune."

I looked at Quatre, who shrugged. "Personality is hugely affected by circumstance and your habits. It's possible that something in your life had greatly changed how you view others, and now that you can't remember it you've reverted to a more natural state. It's really not as rare as it sounds."

"Have you dealt with many cases like mine before?"

Quatre nodded. "Yes. Your company actually had me flown here specifically because I specialize in these types of brain injuries, and they apparently think I'm worthy of treating the great Mr. Yuy." He smiled before taking another drink of his heavily sweetened coffee and Duo laughed.

We reached the airport quickly and before I knew it we were sitting in the terminal, playing the waiting game. With the incoming storm they were unsure if the flight would be delayed, so we took our time checking in. Even still, it left us with extra waiting time in the terminal, and I quickly learned I am not the kind of man who enjoys waiting. It wasn't that I was impatient, simply that I liked to be occupied.

"So, anything interesting happen last night?" The doctor asked me, and I recalled the strange, intoxicating dream I'd had. I told him about it down to the last detail, and Duo laughed at me several times.

"Look at you, Mr. Romantic! Un-freaking-real." I glared at him. He didn't understand, he couldn't understand. The girl in my dream had been amazing, and I needed to know if there was any chance she was real… that she had ever been _mine_.

"That sounds an awful lot like a recovered memory, mostly judging from the fact that you felt like an observer and not like you were 'in control' of anything in your dream. It's really good news, Heero! It's a shame you couldn't remember her name, though... although you have the names of her friend, at least." Quatre looked up as I did, an oriental man standing before us.

"Yuy, what are you doing here?" He looked down at me, staring pointedly at Quatre until he moved a seat down, and he took his place. "I heard about your buildings. When are you planning on starting the rebuild?" I looked at him, hoping and pleading with my brain that I could dig up some figment of information about this man.

"Heero, this is Wufei Chang. He's the CEO of Cam-tec. Wufei, Heero's had an accident, so his memory's gone to shit. Tell anyone and I can't promise he won't kill you later." Duo watched Wufei warily, and he shrugged nonchalantly in response.

"I'd heard the rumors already, but I figured it must be the case."

"What makes you say that?" Quatre and I asked at the same time, leaning toward him.

"Because," he said, smiling over at me, "you fucking hate flying."


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Sorry for the delay in chapters, I was away for the weekend visiting family. Enjoy, everyone.

**Forget Me Not**  
>Chapter 6<p>

_Heero,_

_ I probably won't be writing much anymore, the postage is too expensive, but I'll try and get something to you every once in a while. I know it's probably futile to ask, but are you coming home at all this summer? I really need to see you… so much has happened and telling you through the internet isn't good enough. I need you here with me._

_If you don't want to be with me anymore, I wish you'd just say so. I don't want to be wasting my own time or yours trying to make this work. I love you, and I always want you, but the distance is killing us and you aren't even trying to help make it better._

_Hope you're okay._

_ Lena_

* * *

><p>Wufei, of course, had been completely right. The moment we got in the plane I felt my stomach clench as though I were about to be water-boarded. I must have paled once the engines started because Quatre looked at me sympathetically.<p>

"If it's any consolation, your physical reaction to flying suggests that-"

"Shrink me later," I gritted out, my knuckles turning white as I gripped the armrests. An hour into the flight I had calmed slightly, but I felt pasty and uncomfortable. In order to take my mind off things, I decided to talk to Quatre more about my dream.

"So you think it was a memory, but there doesn't seem to be anything that spurred anything in that particular memory. Why did I randomly dream about being a high-schooler?" I was reluctant to put too much faith in the already-fading thoughts regarding that dream, but the thought of that girl being in my life was too irresistible to let fade.

"Well, we had talked about you having romantic partners previous to the dream. Since your brain tends to spit out whatever you've talked about, maybe it was trying to remind you of a past girlfriend? It certainly sounds that way, anyways." He looked up from his novel, smiling. "Don't worry about it too much. Your brain's still healing, it's going to take time before you can really recover much, but I'm sure this trip is really going to help."

"Thanks," I said, still feeling discouraged.

"So you can't remember anything?" I looked to my left and Wufei was looking at me over his glasses, reading the paper.

"I can remember skills. I can still run the company, I just can't remember any events." He smirked slightly, and I felt my eyes narrow compulsively. I don't know if I'd been friends with this man before, but I distinctly disliked him now.

"Don't let him get to you. Your companies work side-by-side, but he's been trying to one-up you since you were kids. He probably knows more about you than he's letting on." Duo took hold of my arm. "Don't bother trying to get anything out of him. You're better off just letting him be." Sighing, I let my head rest on the back of the seat. For some reason I was absolutely drained, my headache returning, pounding through my skull with each heartbeat, reminding me just how weak I truly was.

I must have passed out, because next thing I knew I was dreaming again. It felt much the same as the previous dream. I was in an airport, a heavy, rolling bag in one hand, and her warm fingers interlaced with my other. I looked at her and her eyes were glossy, the rims red; she had been crying. I turned to her, putting my bag down and she launched herself at me. Wrapping her arms around my neck, she sobbed into my shoulder, and I felt her hot tears leak through my shirt.

"Honey, enough," I said, patting her back, but she was far from finished. Looking up at me, I took in her face; those same clear, ocean-blue eyes, wet with tears, staring right into me; the same long blonde hair, bangs obscuring one eye slightly. I felt myself tuck them out of the way, trying to soothe her.

"It's just a few years. I'll be back before you know it. Christmas isn't that far." None of my words seemed to work, and I kissed her on the forehead before moving to her lips. The kiss lasted almost an embarrassingly long time, bystanders clicking their tongues before finally I pulled away.

"I love you," she whispered, and I swallowed hard against the lump in my own throat.

"I love you, too. Wish me luck."

"Safe trip. Good luck." I turned, kissed her hand and left, taking my bag with me. I couldn't stand to look back, knowing she would be standing there, watching me leave, likely crying by now.

I woke up slowly, my brain aching with that same flaming sensation the week before, a cold compress on my head. Not only did I have a _massive_ migraine, I was on another plane, and pissed about it.

"Hey, he's up," Duo said quietly, and I realized the cabin was blessedly dark, the lights not able to aggravate my headache. "Dude, you okay?" I nodded, pressing my hand to the compress, keeping it against my forehead.

"What the hell happened?"

"You went for a sleep when we were on the last plane and we couldn't wake you back up. Wufei leant us his plane once we got to Seattle so we could drag your passed-out ass over here. Look out the window." I did, leaning over and sliding open the hatch, and city lights dim but ever-present as the sun was already peaking over the tops of the buildings and I felt a rumble in my stomach as we began our approach of the airport.

"Wasn't a long layover, then," I murmured, taking in the city. It was the end of winter and trees, I imagined, would be just starting to bud, spring on the edge of blooming across the metropolis.

"Nah, we got the next plane up in the air pretty quick once they saw the state you were in. Quatre pulled some pretty swift b.s. about you needing to see a specialist in New York." Duo elbowed the blond man, and I quickly realized that he was the sort of man who would be friends with anyone, apparently in days, and I was surprisingly thankful for it. I needed to have at least _one_ person around who knew me, and knew me well.

The plane tilted downwards and began our descent, and before I knew it we were back in another terminal, making our way out into the city. If I'd thought Haramachi was loud, the street outside the airport pick up was pure insanity. It took me a few moments to adjust to the sheer numbers of people flooding around before Quatre subtly took my arm and guided me into a cab, Duo sitting up front.

"Where you headed, boys?" the cabbie asked, a middle-aged man with an accent I couldn't place.

"You know Mel's, over in Carnasie? We need grub!" Duo smiled at the guy, clearly thrilled to be back in what must be his stomping grounds. None of the places he described resonated with me, but Quatre apparently rested easy at his choice of places. The cabbie nodded, agreeable and drove off as Duo turned around to talk to us. "You're gonna love Mel's. Well," he said, turning back to the front, "you actually _do_ love Mel's, already. You're gonna re-love Mel's. Goddamn, I need some breakfast." He talked the rest of the ride to Brooklyn, calling out about landmarks, places he knew I'd visited on business or in his company. We arrived at the diner after a longer ride, the traffic predictably bad, as apparently it always was on the island.

"Alright," Duo said, paying the driver and walking up to us. "This is it, just like I remember. God, it's been _years_ since I've been in here. It used to be one of your favorite places, I guess they've got the best breakfast in the city." He held open the door for us and we sat ourselves in a booth by the window. Quatre checked up on me every once in a while, making sure I wasn't getting overloaded with all the new stimuli, but I felt fine. A whiff of coffee drifted over the table and I felt a craving come on. Thankfully, our waitress arrived quickly, a petite girl with short black hair, smiling and perky.

"Hi there! Coffee and water for you guys, or was there somethin' else you would like before yous order?" her voice completely matched her stature, and Duo stared at her, open-mouthed. I spoke before he completely embarrassed himself.

"That sounds great, thanks." She looked at me, cocking her head to the side, as though she recognized me but couldn't recall from where, passing me a menu and replacing her smile quickly.

"No problem boys. I'm Hilde, holler if you need anything." The second she walked away, Duo looked at us like a kid who'd just seen the new puppies in the pet store.

"She. Is. The most exquisite thing I've ever seen." Leaning his head on his hand, he watched her work behind the counter, preparing our drinks, helping prep a few orders for others.

"She's quite pretty, yes," Quatre said, looking over his menu. For having agreed with Duo, he seemed completely disinterested in the girl, and I could see him sneaking glances at another table of men nearby. Suddenly he put his menu down sharply, just as I heard a girl shout from the other side of the room.

"Treize, get the hell away from me!" We all turned, looking to the site of the commotion. A tall man was leering over a young girl, intimidating her, and as she went to turn away he grabbed her, pulling her back close to him. "I'm not kidding. Let me go, _now_." When he didn't relent, she finally hauled off and slapped him across the face, infuriating him and the men sitting at the table with him. She turned and walked away, pulling off her apron and throwing it behind the counter, disappearing.

"Get back here, you little bitch!" One of the men called, but the man the girl had called Treize waved him off.

"She owes me enough, and we know where she lives. She's not going anywhere." They headed out as we watched, leaving no money for their food, their booth filthy.

Returning to the front, Hilde ran up to the girl, taking her arms and looking her over carefully while we did the same. She was blond, her hair running long and full despite being held up in a high ponytail. Her eyes were a bright blue, and she looked over at us briefly, her eyes glassy but not crying, her face set in anger, and I felt a shock run through me like electricity.

"What, Heero?" Quatre asked worriedly, and I could tell he was afraid I'd fall into another seizure. All I could do is stare dumbly at her, taking in the way she moved, how she brushed off her friend's worries, hugging Hilde tightly before taking her slip and pulling together our drink order.

"It's her," I whispered. "The girl from my dreams."


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Hi everyone! So, I've had a few messages asking (/pouting ^_^) about chapter length. This story was designed to have shorter chapters, as I sort of just fired it off quite quickly before I began working on my own original story and two other new fanfics (yes, I write ALL the time).

The story is already completely written, and will be 17 chapters, in case anyone's curious. Hope that clears up any questions! Enjoy!  
>-picimadar<p>

**Forget Me Not**  
>Chapter 7<p>

_Heero,_

_Don't come visit. Something's come up and I'm probably not going to be able to write for a while. I wish you could be here, but it's so unsafe right now. Don't worry about me though; I should be able to get by._

_Haven't heard from you in a few weeks now. I've been emailing but maybe your answers are bouncing back? Either way, I'd really like to hear from you, I need some advice and I want to hear your voice so badly. _

_If you don't feel the same anymore, I wish you would just tell me. I don't want to be just some high school girl who keeps pestering you. I want you to love me like you did before you left. I want you to care about me and talk to me._

_I love you._

_ Relena_

* * *

><p>"I'm sorry, what?" Quatre asked, and I was jarred back to life, watching the girl walk between machines, making coffee and pouring it.<p>

"It's her, the girl from the dreams I keep having." Duo looked about ready to pounce; whether it was on me or the girl, I couldn't tell.

"Well, Heero, are you sure? I mean, it could be a coincidence. Maybe you've seen her before, and your brain was trying to fill in some blanks? You can only dream about people you've seen before." I shook my head, still staring at her.

"No," I said, rejecting what he'd said. "I know her. I know that I do." She came around the outside of the bar, her eyes on the tray of drinks in her hands, her thin arms not strong enough to balance it one on hand as her coworker had. She took a few steps toward us, laid those perfect blue eyes on me, and fumbled the tray, nearly dropping it on the ground. Duo stood up, hoping to help her catch it, but she managed it, bringing it over and setting it down on the table slowly, looking at me with a mixture of weariness and something near fear.

What had I done to this woman?

"Hi," she said, and her voice sounded like bells, washing over me softly. "Sorry about that scene. I try to get the police to keep them out but…" Looking over, she watched Hilde clean up the mess left by the thugs who had bothered her and shook her head. "Anyways…" She paused again, looking at me, her eyes narrowing slightly, the same expression Hilde had had; _I know you_, it said.

"We've got our orders ready, if you're ready to take 'em," Duo said impatiently, and I resisted the urge to bang his head on the table. He was blocking me from her, sitting on the outside of the booth.

"I'm so sorry. Okay, so what did you want?" She scribbled down their orders quickly and looked at me, her eyes taking on that same glassy sheen, her hand wavering over the paper.

"I'll have the western on a bagel, please," I said, passing her my menu.

"Really?" she asked, pausing in her writing, before blushing and looking away, muttering something to herself as she left.

"Can we get your name?" Quatre said loudly, "in case we need anything?"

"God, I'm so sorry," she said, heaving a deep breath and turning back around. "My name's Relena." This woman stared at me with an emotion I couldn't quite decipher until she turned away once again; it had been shame. Why be ashamed of me knowing you?

"Sound familiar?" Quatre asked, and I grimaced a bit.

"I don't know. I'd have to think about it, I can't…" my headache surged, and I groaned, grabbing the glass of water Relena had left in front of me and holding it to my head. _Relena_… It sounded so foreign, different, but so familiar all the same.

"Don't overdo it, Heero!" Leaning across the table, Quatre looked at me. "Look, we could just simply ask her."

"Oh, yeah, that's not creepy. 'Hey, got a minute? We think you used to be this guy's girlfriend, but he doesn't know _shit_ about you. Oh, you don't know? Well, he just dreams about you then, no biggie.' Seriously? You saw the way she looked at him. If she doesn't say anything on her own just let her be." I stared at Duo, almost awestruck at him not only making such a well-formed argument, but also being able to deliver it without being distracted.

"Well, I guess we wait, then." I rolled my eyes, drinking a few large gulps of the water before putting the glass back down on the table. "Come on, Heero. You can't rush these things, and you can't assume that you were great, wonderful friends with everyone you ever knew. Maybe you two broke up and she's mad about it. Maybe your brain just made the whole thing up. We'll figure it out once we start finding out more."

His words were meant to be a comfort, but they just frustrated me, and I turned away from him. When I looked up, Relena was back, putting our coffees in front of us. Duo and Quatre had packets of sugar and tiny vessels of cream on their plates, while mine had none. She smiled weakly, briefly, and walked away again, but Duo stopped her.

"Hey, his has no cream. You want him to drink it black?"

Relena turned, wrinkling her nose at him. "It's how he takes it," she said briefly, paling as she realized what she'd said before walking back behind the bar and disappearing.

"Well, there you go," Duo said, dumping two packets of sugar into his cup and stirring it.

"I'm sorry?" Quatre said, looking quizzical.

"I know he takes his coffee black. So does she, she just admitted she knows him well enough to know his coffee order, and to know that he hates ham, too." He smiled, elbowing me conspiratorially. Quatre excused himself, leaving us alone.

"You really did that on purpose?" Duo barked out a laugh, and I felt mildly offended, knowing he was laughing at me.

"Of course. You know, you were just like this when we first met, too. I'm your vice-President. I'm not completely retarded." Several moments passed, most of which were filled with him answering questions of mine about the business before I, too, excused myself. Walking down past the bar, I heard voices and paused.

"I'm so sorry to ask this, but can I talk to you for just a moment?" It was Quatre, that was certain; I peeked around the bar and he was at the door to the kitchen, a few steps from Relena.

"I don't really have the time, but I'll be out with your breakfast in a moment." Though the sentiment was clearly '_fuck off'_, I had to admire her politesse.

"Please, it's vitally important. I know that you know Heero Yuy. I'm his doctor, here accompanying him in the city. If I could just have a few moments…" At the sound of my name she had stopped, her eyes becoming cold and wet at the same time.

"It _is_ him, then," she whispered, and he nodded.

"You knew him well?" Looking away, Relena blinked back tears.

"We… we went to high school together. I was… surprised he didn't recognize me, that's all." She picked up a few plates, holding them as she spoke. "If you're a doctor from Japan, why are you here? Is he alright?"

"Well, he's had a brain injury, so I'm here to supervise his treatment." She put the plates down, coming closer to Quatre. I hid slightly further back, desperately hoping they didn't catch me spying.

"Brain injury? Is he going to be alright? Oh my god, was it from the tsunami? I saw it all over the news and I thought…" Her voice cracked and she held a hand to her mouth, calming herself.

"Don't worry, he'll be fine. Unfortunately, he's suffering some pretty terrible amnesia, which is likely why he doesn't remember you." He was smiling at herm trying to use that angelic charm of his to get more information out of her. "Is there anything you can tell us about him? Would you be willing to talk to him, to tell him about your relationship with him?"

By the time he got to the last sentence her face had turned to stone. "No, I wouldn't, and I won't. I'm really sorry, doctor, but there's just no way I can do that." She looked at him again, picking the plates back up. "My life has changed a lot since I last saw him. Things have happened that just make whatever I could tell him irrelevant. I wish you all the best and I hope he recovers, but I can't help you." She started walking toward me and I rushed past into the bathroom, my heart racing.

She knew me.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Not much to say here, really, except THANK YOU for all the reviews! I'm glad you guys are liking it, and don't worry, the next few chapters are gonna blow you away!

-picimadar

**Forget Me Not**  
>Chapter 8<p>

_ Why don't you love me anymore?_

_ -Relena._

* * *

><p>I could barely eat. Relena only came back to our table to leave the bill, which I covered quickly, my hands practically shaking. I didn't know whether to demand that Quatre tell me the truth or continue to trust him, hoping he could coerce Relena into helping me.<p>

But what was the reasoning behind it? I knew Quatre would ask, and during the ride to the hotel I could come up with no satisfying answer. What was the reason for this sudden, urgent need to know what she knew? Was it to know her, or to know myself?

I thought more about it. She was beautiful, more so than she had been in my dream. Her cream-coloured shirt had set off the tan developed in her skin, her hair still long and blond, lighter than I seemed to have remembered it. Her voice was identical, her face and expressions reading so familiarly that I knew there was no way I could stay away from her.

"Well, that was eventful," Quatre said, somehow already tired. I couldn't imagine feeling tired; my brain was running at seven-thousand miles a minute, and I had yet to experience another headache.

"No shit. Well, I have an idea," Duo said, and I followed the two men into the elevator. "I say we visit your high school. It's practically around the corner from here, and it'll give us a chance to check out some stuff in Manhattan." The elevator was private as we traveled up to our suite; though I had been momentarily astounded at the cost of the room, once the doors opened I understood. Plush carpets covered the place, rich furniture, enormous rooms… It was unlike anything I could remember.

"Jesus. Well, this is what you get when you're a member of the 'Club', eh?" Duo winked at me, tossing his bags by the door and continuing in, and I followed him quietly. We had time to get settled in, and I pulled my laptop out to check up on how things were going back in Japan before reading a few 're-introductory emails' from my cohorts in New York, updating me on the business practices here and their current statuses. It was useful information, and I found myself recalling more and more each time I tried, terms and practices becoming second-nature.

"Come on, guys. We should head out and see the park, at least. It's pretty this time of year, and it's been an okay spring. Let's get over there, and we'll see if we can't get you back to your school." I nodded, eager to head back out, and Quatre sighed.

"If you think you can handle it, we might as well, but don't go passing out on me again. If you have any headaches at all, you have to tell me."

"I know. I'm not too eager to do that again, so don't worry about it," I replied, and before we'd even had chances to take our shoes off we were back out the door. Although my frustration at the pre-programmed familiarity I felt with the city despite having no accessible memory was rising, my excitement over finally arriving and meeting Relena had my mood significantly improved. The sights and smells of the city were enticing, but not nearly as much as the thought of seeing Relena again.

"Hey, lover-boy. This way," Duo said, and I glared at him. Unfortunately my dirty looks were useless against the blend of insanity and perpetual optimism that abounded from my friend, who waltzed down the street as though it were his homecoming. It occurred to me that it probably was. "Been way too long since I've been back here. Come on. If we cut through the park here, we go along the Lake, and then your school's right on the other side."

"How do you know all this?" I asked. "You told me I never told you anything."

"I lived here my whole life before I started working for you. When you told me where you attended, I knew where it was from the start. I got a lot of valuable shit up here, I'm tellin' ya." He backed up his claim with a finger pressed to his temple, and we entered the famous Central Park.

It was somewhat like what I had pictured and exactly as Duo had described; beautiful, well-groomed and enormous considering the size of Manhattan. We passed 65th street, bicyclists, joggers, women chatting, children playing or walking their dogs, the park was a flurry of activity wherever you looked. By the time we got to the Lake I had been so busy thinking about all the beauty of the park that I had almost forgotten about the dilemma with Relena.

Almost.

"Alright, here we are," Duo said, leading us out of the park and down another street. It was littered with all manner of people, shops, animals, all kinds of languages mingling together. I found I could understand more than my native English, which came as a surprise.

"What languages can I speak?"

Duo pondered for a moment before responding as we walked. "Well, definitely English, Japanese, Mandarin… You speak some Canto, 'cause we got a lot of people there in Hong Kong… French, too. I think that's all, though, but there could be more. Why you ask?"

"Just curious. I can't remember studying anything but I can understand other languages." I furrowed my brow as I thought about it. "Will it always be like that?"

Quatre shrugged sympathetically. "There's no telling, really. I'm guessing you're just annoyed because you have the skill but don't remember the experience of acquiring it. Unless we can find a way to recover your memories, I don't know that it will come back."

I shook my head, looking at the cobblestone pathway we walked on. "It feels like a goose-chase."

"I know. Look, we're almost there. You never know, it could be just about anything that will make you come back." His blond bangs fell in his eyes slightly as he smiled, and I felt a bit bad for being so pessimistic. I tried to push the thought away, but the reality was obvious: there was always a risk, a decent chance that I would never remember my life before my injury.

"Vandesande Academy. This is the one." We stood out on the sidewalk, looking at the domineering building. It looked like it had once been an old church, still with large, stained-glass windows depicting woodland scenes and the schoolyard. Several huge dormitories made out of the same dark stone as the main one, and I took a step through the wrought-iron gate easily, familiarity coming over me in waves.

"How's it feel?" The doctor asked me, and I couldn't come up with a very good answer. I shrugged lamely before we approached the heavy wood doors, smaller, human-sized doors cut into them.

"Should we knock?"

"Nah, the office is upstairs. If there's not many students around, they won't hear it." I was halfway through the door before I realized I had been the one who'd said it. We continued in, up the massive main staircase, and a sign read _HEADMASTER- JAQUES DELACOUR_ exactly where I had been expecting.

"Well done, Heero," Quatre congratulated, and I smirked slightly before I knocked at the door. A voice bid us 'come in', and we did.

"Ah, I've been expecting you, gentlemen. Please, come right in." Headmaster Delacour was a tall, thin man with salt-and-pepper hair, small reading classes and a narrow but kind-looking face. I didn't recognize him in the least. "I've heard about your predicament, and I'm willing to do whatever I can to help you, Mr. Yuy. Unfortunately Headmistress Fierreres passed away two years after you graduated; she was the headmistress during your time here." I stared at him somewhat blankly before he realized his mistake. "Ah, yes, you don't remember. She was headmistress during your time here. According to the staff you were one of her favorites."

Standing up, he crossed the office and bid us follow him. "Come, let's look at some things. There's quite the library of photos down this alumni corridor here." He paused before the first few set of frames. "This is actually a shot of you, here, with the lacrosse team. Your year was nationally renowned. You weren't the captain; you refused the honor to concentrate more on your studies." I looked so young in the photo, all us teenaged boys crowded together in our regulation jerseys, camaraderie apparent.

"This is another of you when you were class president third and fourth year. You and Emmy Islington made quiet the duo as class presidents." The girl and myself were standing by a desk in what I assumed had been our own office at the school, several other council members milling about. I didn't want to say the girl Emmy was leering at me, but her expression in the photo made me uncomfortable, even know when I didn't know the girl.

"And here's the one I thought might jog your memory a bit more." Smiling, Delacour showed us the shot. "I had one of your professors tell me about this picture. It's one of the only ones we have where you're smiling, you see. This is you and your girlfriend at the time, Relena Darlian. You two were apparently the darlings of the school before you graduated." I stared at the photo, completely dumbstruck.

It was exactly as I had seen in my dream. The uniforms, the girls in the background laughing, me, sitting in the park bench, holding the hand of the girl who was most definitely Relena Darlian, looking up at me, smiling that perfect, dimpled smile.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Hello, and happy long weekend to any Canadian readers! Hope you all enjoy this latest installment!  
>-picimadar<p>

**Forget Me Not**  
>Chapter 9<p>

_Dear Heero,_

_ I understand. I'm sorry I've kept so much from you. I can just feel you growing away from me every day. It feels like talking to a stranger when you call… I don't want to hurt you, Heero. I love you. I never want to hurt you, I just want you to be happy, and I feel like I can't do that for you anymore._

_I'm sorry I failed you. You're an amazing man, and I'll miss you with my whole heart. Remember, life is shorter than you think._

_Goodbye, my love._

_ Relena_

* * *

><p>I didn't faint, but I wish I had. The pain seared behind my eyes, making me fall to one knee less than gracefully, clutching my head.<p>

"Heero!" Quatre was at my side instantly, one hand pressed to my neck, the other holding the other side of my head. "Heero, it's imperative you don't faint. Stay conscious and tell me what you're feeling."

If I could have formed words, I would have. All I could feel was pain, my eyes clouded by thousands of images, voices, sounds, smells, touches. I sat down, leaning my back against the wall.

"Sh-should I call an ambulance?" I briefly felt sorry for the headmaster, who Quatre assured I would be fine. Duo remained uncharacteristically silent, and I was glad; one more sound would have pushed my fractured mind over the edge.

"Heero," I heard Quatre calling me, but for some reason the sound seemed far off, as though spoken from a distance. "Heero," another voice said, distinctly different. Separate, as though my mind were speaking to itself.

"Heero," the voice said a final time, and when I narrowed down the number of speakers, my vision was completely lost. I felt as though I were dreaming while awake. "Oh, good, you're still here." She was there again. Relena.

"Just finishing up." My voice sounded as though it were coming from underwater; barely comprehensible.

"Good. I was hoping that you could help me out with this calculus when we get back to my place?... My parents are out of town, too, you know." Relena's voice was mischievous, beckoning, and I felt my blood stir. "So you can stay as long as you like. I thought maybe we could get drinks at the Palace before dinner? Candy wants us to come pop by, too, but we'll see if we make it just that far." She came up behind me, wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed my neck, her smell intoxicating me.

"Alright. Let's head out."

She laughed at me. "Done already? Must be a miracle."

"Heero!" Quatre shouted at me now, and I gasped, backing away from him, sliding along the floor as I came out of the vision. "Heero, talk to me right now. What did you see?"

I took a deep breath, opening my eyes, trying to steady what I saw. One I'd narrowed the field down to being full of only two Quatre's, I told him. "It was Relena. I remember when they took the picture. I was here, studying, and she came to get me so we could go back to her place for the night."

He looked at me, dumbfounded, but Duo laughed. "Heero, you ladies' man! Picking up like a boss since 2008!"

Quatre stood up, looking at the picture. "That's when this picture is from. Heero, I think you remembered exactly what was in this picture." Kneeling back down near me, he took my hand. "Do you think you can get up?" I nodded, pressing a hand against my knee for balance as I lunged up off the floor.

"I'm sorry about that," I said to Delacour, slightly embarrassed.

"Oh, please, don't apologize. I'm only glad I could help you, even if it doesn't feel that way right now. Please come back if you want to see anything else. The doors are always open." I looked at Duo, who was visibly keeping his lips together, and I knew as soon as we hit the hired car he would be blabbing at the top of his lungs.

"_Unbelievable_," he exhaled as soon as he sat down. "Seriously! You knew you knew her, and you're right! You got back the memory! Man, we gotta find this chick and figure out what's going on!"

Quatre closed his eyes and shook his head slightly. "I don't know if that's a good idea. She didn't seem to want anything to do with us. Maybe your relationship just went south?" I narrowed my eyes, but as soon as I tried to remember my temple felt as though someone had prodded it with a sharp, hot poker.

"I don't know."

"It's fine, Heero. Just keep trying to access what you can remember. Run it over in your mind. Increasing familiarity with the memory might help you recall other, similar incidences." He looked at Duo. "I don't think that finding Relena is what we need to do right now. Heero needs rest. Let's get back to the hotel, eat, and see if there's anything you want to do tonight."

Duo grinned, and I already regretted Quatre making the suggestion.

The rest of the afternoon was predictable; we returned to the suite, I worked as much as I could, catching up on emails and paperwork, all the while trying to ignore the memory. It was a futile effort, for the most part; I couldn't resist thinking back to the way I'd felt when she'd touched me, talked to me… Then I would shake my head and get back to work. By the time I had finished, Quatre and Duo had already ordered room service for all of us, and we ate quietly, Quatre questioning me some more on my episode, making notes in between bites.

"So, boys," Duo said, and Quatre and I both groaned. "I say tonight we go clubbing."

"That's not at all a good idea, Mr. Maxwell. Heero definitely can't drink in his condition, and we have no idea how he'll react to the stimulus." He looked at me, his blue eyes imploring me to agree. "Of course, I can only advise you. I can't force you to stay…"

"Well then, let's go!" Duo grabbed me, dragged me into my room and slammed the door before rummaging through my closet. "Okay, so you've got one. That's good news. Now, suit up!" He tossed the pure black jacket my way before dashing back out the door, a human whirlwind I had only barely begun to understand. Shaking my head, I pulled on a dress shirt, a dark green that, according to Duo, flattered my dark skin. Pulling on the jacket and a matching belt, I opened my door and found the braided idiot standing directly outside of it, waiting.

"Alright! Man, this is going to be _awesome!_" We got out to the door, waiting for the elevator, when Quatre came around the corner, straightening a tie. "Wait, _you're_ coming?"

"I'm certainly not leaving him alone with you." I barked out a laugh, and the two men stared at me, surprised, as the door _dinged_ and let us in. By the time we reached the ground floor, Duo was practically already dancing.

"The Cove," he told the cab driver, who nodded and took off.

"Where are you taking us?" I asked, and Duo smiled, his teeth visible in the rear-view mirror.

"Back to Brooklyn. You gotta see this place. I heard it's great, but haven't been because _you_ wouldn't come back to the damn city for ages."

"Brooklyn, really? What's the obsession?" Duo turned around, looking a tad upset.

"Obsession? Kid, it's my borough! Let a man enjoy himself!"

Quatre tried to object as we stopped sharply in traffic. "Hey, this trip isn't for you..." I shook my head at him.

"He's right. It's not all about me. You can't let yourselves get dragged to another continent and not have any fun. I don't mind, really." Duo grinned again, holding up a hand for a hi-five.

"See, now that's a bro." I left him hanging, looking out the window at the night's sky instead. "I take it back."

We arrived at the club before it was hideously busy, but it was enough that the cabbie refused to pull into the parking lot, dropping us off across the street anyways. I paid this time and followed Duo in. We got into line but he braided man skipped off, had a word with the bouncer and waved us over.

"Here, take this," he said, passing me a driver's license.

"This better be real." Rolling his eyes, Duo snatched it back and took it from me, passing it to the massive man at the entrance. Eying them and us equally, he passed back our ID's and let us in. "You know him?"

"Yeah, man. Went to high school with the kid. Good guy, has kids now and everything. Can you imagine?" He laughed, as though the idea of reproducing was ridiculous, and I'm sure the world breathed a collective sigh of relief. At least, Quatre did, standing behind us as we pushed in the door.

The music was pounding loud, the kind of deep bass that reverberates into your rib cage and makes you have to consciously breathe, and I found I actually didn't mind it, taking in the men and women socializing, people waiting and ordering at the red backlit bar, the dance floor packed with swirling and dancing couples having a great time. We made our way over to the bar, and I waited as Duo ordered before I heard another familiar voice shouting behind me.

"Two rum and cokes, a double martini dry, and three shots of Jim Beam." I turned, and there she was, again. Relena. She didn't seem to notice me ogling her, and I took in the chance greedily. She was wearing a tight halter-top in dark maroon, gold accents showing off her long trailing matching earrings. A short black skirt hugged her thighs, and I realized just how long her tan legs were, disappearing into high gold heels.

"That's an awful lot for one person," I said, and she turned to me, stunned.

"You?" She went to back away but was stopped by another man, putting his hands on his shoulders.

"Oh, it's not all for her, I'm sure. After all, if you can afford a round for all your friends, and all this pretty jewelry," Treize punctuated the sentence by running a hand along her neck, stirring an earring into motion, "why don't you have my money yet?" By the end of the sentence his tone was menacing, and I could see Relena flinching under his grasp.

"You let go of her, now," I growled, and Treize immediately complied, putting on a brave face and backing away, his hands in the air.

"Calm down, lover-boy." Turning to Relena briefly, I watched as he smirked at her glare. "Apparently you two have a lot to talk about." He disappeared into the crowd, and I turned to the golden-haired girl.

"Are you alright?" She looked up at me with that doe-eyed expression I'd seen in my own mind earlier that day before Relena turned away, frowning.

"I don't need your help." Just as she finished speaking, the tall man Quatre had been eying walked up, putting an arm between Relena and myself. "Trowa, it's fine. Let's just go." They walked away, disappearing into the crowd, and I felt my heart drop into my feet as I realized that I had been gone, missing off the earth for at least two months. How long had it really been since I had known this woman?


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: I am an enormous idiot and double-posted chapter nine. Sorry for the notification spam, everyone!

-picimadar

**Forget Me Not**  
>Chapter 10<p>

R 3: Hi!

Yuy: Hey

R 3: where are you

R3: I've been waiting for ages.

R3: …. Don't tell me you're not coming!

Yuy: I can't do anything about it, Lena. Something came up. I think I'm going to have to call you later. Go to the party. If I can come, I'll show up.

R3: You'd better have a good excuse. Emmy's going to be soooooo mad :/

R3: she already started drinking tho, so she might not even notice that you're late.

R3: Spoketoo soon. She def noticed.

Yuy: Lena, my dad died.

R3: Oh my go

R3: *god

R3: Jesus, Heero… oh my god. Is there something I can do?

R3: Screw the party. I'm coming over there.

R3: Be there soon as I can. I love you.

_Relena D. signed off._

* * *

><p>For the first time in two weeks I'd woken up to the sound of my alarm, a small clock-radio contraption that blared next to me, reading 1 o'clock pm. Horrified, I sat up, clicked it off and opened my door expectantly.<p>

Quatre was sitting on the couch in the living room, talking with a woman I'd never seen before. They both looked up at me, and I became painfully aware that all I was wearing were a pair of all-too-thin boxers, and I dove back behind the door feeling like a complete moron.

"Hey, Heero," Quatre said, and I wished he'd just pretended I didn't exist, or at least that I hadn't just made a total ass out of myself. "We thought it would be best to let you sleep, I know you've been through a lot the past few days with us dragging you everywhere. The lady out here is Dr. Sally Po, she's a consulting psychiatrist I've been talking to about your case." As he spoke I hurriedly pulled on a sweater and jeans, raking my fingers through my hair. As usual, the gesture didn't help.

Reopening the door, I left my room and sat down nearby the doctor. "Sorry about that," I said, holding a hand out to her. "I'm Heero Yuy. I didn't know we were expecting company."

She smiled, her unique features wrinkling. "Don't worry about it. I work in a psych ward, I've seen much stranger things. Dr. Po, but you can call me Sally. Quatre's told me a lot about you. I'm thrilled you've been able to regain a few of your memories. Do you feel it's helping you figure things out any more?"

"Yes," I said, definitive. "It's nice to know that there's a good chance I could regain more, now that I have a few." I looked over at Quatre, who had sat back down. "To be honest, though, I feel more frustrated than anything. All I've regained seems to be superficial. I can't remember any major, life-altering thing, just what I was wearing when I ate dinner at some restaurant the first time, where I was when my best friend won a soccer game in high school… Will it always be like this?"

Will my life always be this boring? Had it always been this boring? Those were the questions I wanted to ask, but didn't, mostly because I was afraid of the answer.

"It's possible that any memories that have caused you pain have been locked away more strongly than anything else. I hate to say this, but if there was any possibility that you were abused during your youth, or had any destructive tendencies or relationships, your brain could be trying to protect you, releasing only the things that won't harm you." Sally looked at her blond compatriot, who nodded. "I know it can't be easy, but there is still a chance that anything more major could be lost. I wouldn't worry about it just yet, though. You're learning more day by day. The improvements you've shown in testing are truly very remarkable." Standing up, she shook my hand again after straightening her skirt. "You're truly a very lucky man, Mr. Yuy." Excusing herself, Dr. Po left.

"Sorry about that. I didn't know you'd set an alarm. I'd planned on letting you sleep as long as you could. That was quite the day, yesterday, and I figured you might want to just sleep it off."

It took me a minute to recall what he was talking about, and I wish I hadn't. Emmy. I had met her yesterday, and to call it 'quite the day' felt like the understatement of the century. She had jumped me as soon as I laid eyes on her, planting a kiss on me that tasted like bubblegum, chattering nonstop after she did. It had taken me more than an hour to explain to her that I really didn't remember a thing about her, that I wasn't there to take her away and marry her, and that I was apparently no longer with Relena Darlian.

"Really?" she had said. "But you two were like… she was like your right arm. The only reason I didn't score with you in high school was because you were on her like glue. I thought you two stayed together after you left?" She'd shrugged, finished her glass of Coke and walked away, telling me to call her 'if I got bored'. I desperately hoped I would never get to the point where I was bored enough to even remember where I'd put her card.

"She was…. Interesting." I was trying to be nicer, as Duo had a habit of commenting how much I'd 'changed for the better' since my injury.

"No kidding. Can't believe you were friends with that crazy." Duo came back in the door laden with bags of groceries. He tossed them in the fridge haphazardly before turning around, looking triumphant, as though filling the ice box was the highlight of his day.

"So, what was the plan for today?" Quatre asked wearily, and I took pity on him.

"I think it's fine if you want to stay and relax, doctor. I plan on going back to Vandesande, maybe talk more with the headmaster and see if there's anything else I can remember." I turned away to head back into my room, praying he wouldn't press me about it. It didn't work.

"So, you want to know more about Relena." It wasn't a question, but it made me feel I had to validate myself.

"She knows so much more than she's letting on, and it's obvious. She was in my life for a long time, and she refuses to tell us anything. It's unfair. I'm hoping if I can remember more about her, then maybe I can figure out more about myself."

The last bit was a complete lie. I had become less and less interested in learning about anything with my old life that didn't have to do with the mystery woman haunting my dreams and now my own mind. I had fallen behind slightly in my business duties, though Duo was working hard to pick up the slack… at least while he wasn't out chasing that waitress Hilde around.

"Well, have fun, then. Don't be too late, I've got another assessment for you." I nodded, grabbed my wallet and headed out.

The walk to the school was becoming more and more familiar as spring progressed, and I recognized more and more famous families and their children milling about, previous colleagues and students at Vandesande who were surprised, some happy to see me back in the city. I walked up the familiar stone steps quickly and knocked on Delacour's office door, but no one answered.

I was unsure of what to do. I knew he'd given me permission to visit whenever I liked, but being in the school with no one there was unnerving. Being a weekend, I decided to go and see my old dormitory; maybe the room I'd used was empty. I took the winding corridor up and out to the large, square attached building, having to consult a few directing signs along the way to keep from getting lost. Nostalgia gripped me from head to toe as I entered the boy's side, just the smell of the building bringing back feelings of home I hadn't felt since long before waking up back in Japan.

I knew I had stayed in room 355; it had come up in a memory before, where I had seen my bedroom door before waking up. I knocked on the door and no one answered. Turning the door handle, I found it was unlocked, and I pushed it open, revealing an empty room. A small bed was against one wall, hedged by a large desk and a huge closet took up the remaining wall space that wasn't occupied by windows. There were several shelves leading off to a small space for a private bathroom. I was surprised at the luxury, and I walked into the room, closing the door behind me quietly. Everything seemed incredibly familiar, even down to the grayish color of the carpet, and I sat down on the edge of the bed.

I was almost enjoying myself, basking in the warm, temptingly homey feelings that washed over me, before I heard a phone ring in the room next to mine.

Immediately I felt completely nauseous, but nothing seemed to be happening to me. I felt myself almost double over, sweat breaking out on my forehead, anxiety, fear and fright making my pulse race and my breathing become frantic.

Finally I let my head fall into my hands, feeling helpless to the emotions that ran through me before I really identified what they were. Loss. I felt loss, grief, an emptiness that threatened to overwhelm me. Then, they began again, those brief flashes of sight and sensation I thought I'd become so used to blinding me, forcing me to be witness to my own plight.

I staggered to my feet, urgent to leave the room and whatever hurtful, hateful memories it held, dashing out of the building, scaring several students and I'm sure giving the staff something to talk about. I dove into the nearest cab and demanded to know the time. It was 5pm. In the space of what felt like minutes, hours had passed. I told him to take me to the diner, and he sped off as much as he was able, clearly shaken by my distress.

After minutes of agony, I realized what I was seeing. I had been in that room when something awful had happened. I had picked up the phone, identical in sound to the one next door, and had heard the news: my father was dead. It had come from a stranger, their cold, mechanical voice informing me distantly that he was no longer among the living. In that moment, everything had changed.

Staggering to my feet as the driver let me out, I threw a few bills at him before walking into Mel's. I felt my face and realized I was crying, twin wet trails running down my face. Taking a few weak steps forward, I sat down at our now 'usual' booth, laid my head down and cried.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: I am so sorry this took so long to post. My computer got fried, and I couldn't recover any of my chapters from any other computer. So, here they are. I'm going to wrap up posting this fanfic in the next two weeks, easily, so I can move on to other projects.

Thanks for your patience everyone, R&R!  
>-picimadar<p>

**Forget Me Not**  
>Chapter 11<p>

* * *

><p>R3: Hey<p>

R3: Hear anything back about Tsukuba?

Yuy: Yeah, I got the letter today. They want me on early acceptance, so I'd start sometime this summer.

R3: WHY DIDN'T YOU CALL AND TELL ME?

R3: That's great news! ^_^

R3: are you excited?

Yuy: I guess.

Yuy: It's not really a big deal.

R3: Of course it is! Oh man, we're going out to celebrate! I'm on my way over.

Yuy: You really don't have to come.

R3: What, you don't want to see me?

R3: Are you feeling okay?

R3:…. Heero, say something. Babe.

R3: You can't just sit up in there alone all day. I need you. I'm coming over there and we can talk more then, okay?

R3: I love you.

_Relena D. has signed off_.

* * *

><p>"Heero, are you okay? Do you need me to call Duo or the doctor? Are you hurt?" It was a barrage of questions, Hilde, the tiny waitress, standing at the edge of the table, looking down at me.<p>

"No," I said, sounding like a twelve-year-old who'd just fallen off a bike. I sniffled, as if that didn't make things worse. "No, I'll be okay. I just need a drink. I had a rough day."

She cocked her head to the side, a gesture much like my friend's, and I realized why they got on so well. "Okay, then. Something stiff?" I nodded, and she smiled sadly. Before she brought back the drink I'd managed to at least wipe the tears off my face and get a little less bleary-eyed, but the weight of what I'd remembered must have been written all over my expression. Hilde put the dark glass down in front of me and sat down across from me.

"Drink up and tell me what's going on. The boys know you're here?" I shook my head. "You remembered something heavy, huh?" I nodded now, still drinking. "Well, I'll keep 'em coming. I know you're not supposed to drink, so we'll see how you handle the first few. If you need anything, let me know, honey." I was touched by her kindness, but after the fifth drink I knew I'd overused it. The room was a blur, voices chattering, and I was unable to distinguish most of it.

"Heero," once voice said, and I heard it clear as a bell.

"Relena," I said, looking up at her, and her face was concerned, softened by my obvious pain.

"Heero, tell me what happened." She sat down now, and I took hold of her hand.

"I went back to my old room at Vandesande. I remembered something happening there…" I felt her stiffen, her eyes growing wide with fear, and I wondered what her first, clearly terrifying assumption was. "I remembered finding out my dad had died." My voice shook, and I swallowed hard, taking another huge gulp of my drink. "I haven't been able to remember anything like that at all before now. I wasn't ready."

She gripped my hand, smirking slightly when I hiccupped. "How about I take you home?" I looked up at her, a thousand possible innuendos cropping up over the meaning of the statement, but she quickly realized her error and quashed them. "I meant to your suite. You should get home. I'll take you." Standing, Relena called another waitress over, and I assumed she was explaining the situation.

"O-okay, come on then," she said, almost motherly as she grabbed my hand, hoisted my arm over her shoulder and walked me out to a waiting cab. Hilde waved goodbye at the door, that same pitying look on her face, and I wondered what the people in the tiny restaurant must think of me.

I wondered how I had acted on the first day, too. The first time I had learned my father was dead. What had I done? Had people given me sad looks on the streets? Had I drunk myself into oblivion? Shuffling into the cab, I let my head fall limp against the back headrest, the world spinning.

"Don't throw up. We'll get you home in no time, but first I have to just go by my place and let them know I'll be late."

"Can't you just call them?"

"No," Relena said quietly. "I don't have a cell-phone. Too expensive."

"How-" I started, but she shushed me, jumped out of the car and ran into a shabby-looking triplex. A few moments passed and the cab driver lit up a cigarette, offering me one, which I refused, before Relena bounded back down the stairs.

"Alright," she said, quickly rattling off directions to my hotel to the driver. "The faster, the better," she added at the end, noting what must surely be the paling pallor of my skin. I felt miserable, but couldn't be more glad Relena was there. I opened my eyes to look at her, and she smiled briefly before looking at me, intense.

"Ground rules," she said, and I nodded, trying to understand. "You don't get to ask me about myself, period. If you want to know something that has to do with your life here, then you can ask, but I can't promise I'll answer."

"Why won't you just tell me?" I asked, my words slurred. Her clear blue eyes looked away toward the floor, her head lowering.

"My life has changed a lot since you knew me, Heero. There are things you just don't need to know." She looked at me now, letting a hand pat my cheek. "I want to help you, but I don't want to hurt you accidentally. I know you probably won't remember any of this in the morning, but I really…" she choked up, looking away again.

I felt almost instantly sober, at least for a few moments. "You really what?"

"I really cared about you. A lot." I knew they weren't the words she had been thinking, but Relena distanced herself from me again, staring out the car window as we crossed the city.

"What was I like, before?" I felt her sigh and I couldn't help but take her hand, feeling the soft touch of her skin against mine like a strange, withheld luxury.

"When we were together? Driven. Very driven. You never let anything stick to you. You loved working on projects, sports… but you knew how to have fun, too. You were always trying to help people, to improve other people's lives with your own… It was always interesting. Busy."

Her answer was similar to the vague ones I'd gotten from our classmates, and I was dissatisfied. "What was I like to you?"

"I'm not answering that." Relena's answer was abrupt and cold, and final, and I knew not to bring up the question again. I remained almost completely silent the rest of the ride, groaning a few times from the nausea beginning in my belly. We arrived at the hotel in record time, and Relena escorted me upstairs. "Don't worry about it," she said as I tried to pull out my key. "They know me, here."

We got to the room and Relena helped me sit down on the couch, resting my head on a pillow. Turning on and dimming the lights, she got me several large glasses of ice water, a bottle of Tylenol, put the news on, the television muted, and had room service bring up food for me, things that were easy to stomach.

"This is awfully romantic," I said as she put one of the glasses down on the coffee table nearby, and she laughed, momentarily crouching by my head.

"I do what I can. Will you be alright here, by yourself?" My eyelids drooped, and all I could think of was how close she was.

"You smell like cucumber," I said, and she smiled, patted me on the cheek, and left.

"I think you'll be just fine."


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Another chapter! Read and review!  
>-picimadar<p>

**Forget Me Not**  
>Chapter 12<p>

* * *

><p>Yuy: Hey Lena<p>

R3: Hey babe!

R3: Anything new going on?

Yuy: Not particularly. My dad's CO showed me the office today.

R3: Is it awesome?

Yuy: I guess. It's still full of all my dad's stuff.

R3: :( Well, I'm sure you'll make it all your own soon enough

R3: Don't worry about all those old men. You'll show them what you're made of in no time at all.

R3: So, when do you think you can get home? Thanksgiving too early? I miss you…

Yuy: I don't know if that'll be doable.

Yuy: There's a lot going on around here I have to catch up on.

R3: Oh.

R3: Well, that's okay.

R3: Anyways, I was just about to head over to your dorm and get your things. Are you gonna keep your mail there or do you want me to forward it to my place?

Yuy: Forward it. I'm going to send back some things as well, things I got here for you I thought you might like.

Yuy: Fuck, it's him again.

R3: Who?

Yuy: My idiot classmate. He's from Brooklyn, actually. Real nutjob. Anyways, I gotta run.

Yuy: Love you. Be safe.

_H. Yuy signed off. _

_Relena D. signed off._

* * *

><p>When I woke up, I had a headache that put the raging migraines of the past two weeks to complete shame. I sat up, groaning, and knew I was going to be sick.<p>

"Bucket," I heard Quatre say, and there was one held underneath my head before I vomited hard. I took the bucket myself and held it until my stomach was totally and officially empty, after which I put it down and felt a glass of cold water pressed into my hand. "Drink it all, you'll be sorrier if you don't. You might throw up again but at least it won't be bile." The liquid was pure, bone-chillingly cold, and I did drink it all before letting my head fall back against the couch, breaking shallowly to keep myself from succumbing to the nausea.

"Had a good night, eh?" Duo said, and it felt like he'd held an air-horn to my head.

"Fuck off," I gritted out, covering my eyes with my hands.

"Oh, shit!" Duo got on the ground in front of the couch and looked at me. "No, dude, you don't get it. He hasn't fuckin' talked to me like that since the accident." He pressed a few Tylenol into my palm and I threw them in my mouth, swallowing hard.

"Well, let him adjust for a bit." I felt Quatre settle onto the couch by my feet. "Did he drink at all like this before?"

"Nah, could barely get a beer into him. Like I said, all he did was work. I've never seen him like this since…. Shit." They were on to me. If only I could steel myself long enough to say anything…

"Since my father's funeral?" I asked, and they both stopped dead as I pried my eyes open.

"Well… yeah." Duo was sobered, unlike me, and fell quiet.

"I remembered, while I was at Vandesande. I remembered finding out my father had died. I was in my room, and…" I stopped myself, on the brink of some cross between nausea and despair.

"Heero, I'm so sorry. I knew I should have gone with you." It was almost getting typical for Quatre to kick himself over my weakness, and I shushed him.

"It's fine. If you'd been there, it might not have even worked. It probably wouldn't have triggered the same way."

I sat up now, swinging my feet off the edge of the couch and putting my head in my hands.

"So what was it that did it?"

"A phone rang in the dorm. It sounded just like mine had, back then."

"That's interesting. Well, how do you feel? Do you still have the headaches?"

"I feel alright. I mean, I knew he'd died… it was just a lot to take in. I didn't handle it so well."

Quatre looked at me incredulously. "Well, that much was obvious. You were drinking. I'm sure I expressly told you not to."

I rolled my eyes, feeling like the pain in my stomach and head was more than enough repercussion for my crime. "I know. I just… I needed it."

"It's fine, Heero. Just don't overdo it again. Now, who brought you home? I'm assuming you didn't just walk in. By the time we got back last night you were out cold."

I had gotten home…. How? I had been at Mel's and then… Relena!

"Oh, jesus," I moaned, throwing my head back against the couch.

"What's the deal, man? Oh, dude, did you get some? You dog!" Duo hopped onto the arm of the nearby chair, looking almost proud.

"What is wrong with you? Of course I didn't! Relena brought me back here and brought the water and Tylenol and then she left." I looked at the ceiling, trying to remember what it had been like, but the details were fuzzy. Damn whiskey.

Quatre got up off the couch and I hoped it was to make a pot of coffee. "Well, did you thank her, at least?"

"I told her she smelled like cucumber." _Because I'm a goddamn idiot_, I wanted to add, but didn't. "I should get some flowers and go over there." Standing, I tottered slightly, and Duo grabbed my elbow to help support me.

"That's probably a good idea. Maybe it'll soften her up a bit. It was very nice of her to take care of you." Quatre passed me a mug of coffee and I drank it greedily, knowing I did, indeed, prefer it black. "Wait, wait, wait," he shouted as I turned away. "Shower first. Please."

Once I got to the bathroom I realized why he'd suggested it. My hair stuck up at all angles like a bad wig, and my eyes were rimmed red from my poor sleep. The shower helped wake me up, and I could practically feel the effects of my toxic night seeping out of my pores.

My father had died. I could accept that, now. I knew the loss, knew what I had lost, and how much it meant. The more I thought about it, the more I remembered him and our relationship. It hadn't been strong, but he had loved me. I remembered that.

I got out of the shower, pulled on a t-shirt and a jacket and made my way out to the street. It was about 3pm, and traffic was starting to get out of hand in front of the hotel. Hailing a cab took longer than I expected, and it was almost five by the time I'd harassed a local florist into helping me pick something out. Roses seemed too forward, gerbera daisies seemed too friendly… I settled on an assortment of lilies, lots of vibrant colors.

You could tell when we reached her neighborhood; the property value visibly plummeted, family homes converted into cheap rent-by-the-week apartments and duplexes, the parks run down and empty. The streets were nearly silent, and I couldn't blame anyone for wanting to take cover inside, especially children. I paid the driver and stepped out onto the sidewalk. I could hear a commotion happening inside, and I wondered if I should have called before I came, but that would have been futile to worry about; I had no number to reach her at. Walking up the rickety wooden front porch, I was about to knock on the door when it flew open and Hilde pushed past me, crying, with Trowa closely behind her.

"Move out of the way, now," he said, and I realized someone, their body limp and looking pale and lifeless, weighed down his arms.

"Oh my god," I felt myself say, and I almost dropped the flowers, stumbling down the steps and watching them go past, Relena's one arm nearly dragging on the ground. "Get the door open, get her in the car. Has anyone even called the fucking hospital? Fuck!" He put Relena into the passenger seat carefully, but without losing his sense of urgency, shaking his long bangs out of the way as he buckled her in and let the seat down, making sure she wouldn't shake around too much on the ride.

Climbing around the car, Trowa got into the driver's seat, started up the car and pealed out of the driveway, while I stood, stunned. I'd seen Relena a day before and she'd been perfectly fine, healthy… hadn't she?


	13. Chapter 13

**Forget Me Not**  
>Chapter 13<p>

* * *

><p>R3: Hey, can I ask you something?<p>

Yuy: Shoot.

R3: Do you miss me?

Yuy: Of course I do.

Yuy: Is this because I haven't visited?

Yuy: Lena, there's nothing I can do about it. Don't make me feel guilty about this.

R3: Doesn't seem like I'm making you feel anything.

Yuy: What's that supposed to mean?

R3: You're not stupid. Figure it out.

_Relena D. has signed off_.

* * *

><p>"Heero, get in the fuckin' car!" I heard Hilde yell at me and I scrambled into the passenger side, barely getting my ass in the seat before she took off, following Trowa out of the neighborhood.<p>

"What the fuck happened?"

"I don't know!" Hilde was almost hysterical, and I put a hand on the wheel to steady her. "She's been sick for a while… always complaining she's tired and her back's all sore. She sleeps terrible, too, poor fuckin' thing, but I figured it must just be because she wasn't over whatever happened to her parents, and with Treize hassling her… She's lost so much weight. She's so sick, Heero." She was sobbing out the words now, brokenhearted. "She's so sick, and tonight she just came down the stairs to go to work and she passed right out, just like that."

We both sat in silence for a while as I mulled over what Hilde had said. What had happened to Relena's parents? If we had been together, shouldn't I know? And she was sick? She'd always looked strangely pale, despite being tanned, but what would do that to someone so quickly? Last night she'd been fine.

"What?" Hilde asked, and I realized I'd said it out loud.

"Last night she was fine," I repeated.

"I know. God, Heero… I hope they can help her." We pulled into the parking lot of Lutheran Memorial Hospital after a drive that had felt like an eternity, and Trowa was already getting help wheeling Relena inside. By the time we got to him Relena was gone, taken into the ward and away from us swiftly.

"Does anyone have her wallet? We need to know her coverage." A doctor, tall and almost greasy looking, stared down his nose at us.

"I'm paying for it. Give her whatever she needs. If we find your service isn't up to par, we'll let you know to get her ready for transfer." That smartened him right up, and the doctor turned and walked briskly into the emergency ward.

"Are you serious? Heero, the charges could be astronomical. They don't even know what's wrong with her."

"I don't care. She's going to live through this, one way or the other, and she's not going into debt just to get well." I pulled my cellphone out of my pocket. _7 unread messages_, it read, and I swore. "Go in and fill out her paperwork. I've got to make a few calls. Anyone you need me to get ahold of?"

Trowa glared at me, clearly not one for taking orders, but Hilde spoke up, using the back of her hand to dry her eyes. "Better just call Mel, he's gonna be hella pissed she can't come in. Tell him he can suck it up and call Carey. Other than that, I guess not. It's not like she has any family…" she started crying again, and I took her hand lightly before pushing her toward the entrance.

"You're all the family she needs. Go in there and be there for her. I'll be in shortly." Trowa nodded, seemingly in thanks, and Hilde smiled slightly before following him into the hospital.

Dialing in the number for the hotel suite, Quatre picked up on the third ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Quatre, I'm at the Lutheran Hospital in Brooklyn. I went to see Relena, but she's fainted dead out, so they brought her in. I need you to get down here right away."

"But, but Heero, I'm a neurologist. I can't diagnose someone I don't even know!"

"Well then, get down here! You work for me, don't you? I'm fucking fine, but the doctors here are crap. Ask Duo, I bet you he'll say the exact same thing. She needs help, something's really wrong with her. Please."

I heard a sigh. "Fine. I'm putting Duo on the line. We'll be there as soon as we can." The phone made a few fuzzy noises before another person picked up.

"Dude, she alive?"

"Yes, she's still alive, but she's in bad shape. Get down here."

"Wait. Hilde there?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, of course. For fuck's sake, Duo…"

"We're coming! Sheesh." He hung up on me, the dial tone sounding in my ear, and I closed and turned off my phone before entering.

The hospital smelled like sickness. It was the only way to describe the overwhelming feeling I got when I entered the building; it smelled like death and dying. "Heero," Hilde said, and she waved me over. "I hate to ask this, but you gotta fill this part out… if you were serious about paying for this."

"I was serious." I took the pen and pulled out my wallet, filling in my own health coverage information, my address and some other essential details.

"That'll do." A male nurse whisked it off before I could even open my mouth to find out what was going on.

"They won't tell us anything, either," Trowa said, and I realized he was the one sitting on my other side. "I guess it's too soon to tell… Hil, have you noticed anything weird?"

"Back pain and fatigue, but that's the usual when you work three jobs, seventy hours a week. I hope she just overdid it and can sleep it off…"

"Seventy hours? That's insane." They both looked at me and nodded.

"We agree, but there's nothing we can do about it… I wish I could help her out, poor thing."

I realized they must not know about my condition, and I wondered how much information I could get out of them. "What happened? Why's she work so much? It's not like you're living in a luxury condo, no offense."

"None taken," Hilde said, smiling slightly. "It's a shithole, but it's home. We're saving up to go back to school, Trowa and I, and Relena just kinda showed up. She's so… different, you know? We knew she didn't belong in Brooklyn, but what could we do? It was like finding a half-drowned kitten in the street. Can't leave it behind."

Trowa took over the conversation, surprisingly talkative. I guessed he was trying to take his mind off the current situation. "What Hilde's trying to say, is that Relena came on some hard times. Her parents passed away, and she lost everything. She used to be a page-6 babe, and now she works at a diner and tutors kids in math. She got into Columbia, but she had to drop out."

"So what's the deal with this guy Treize?"

They both rolled their eyes, and I was shocked they didn't just lean over and spit at the sound of his name. "Relena's parents owed him a fuck-ton of money before they died, and so he rolled it over onto her. He's tried to offer her some… 'conditions' to make the 'loan' lesser-"

"But of course, she just tells him to kiss her ass, like a boss." Hilde and Trowa smiled at each other, but the sentiment was fading. "I really hope she'll be okay."

The doors opened again, and I heard a few voices I recognized. "There they are. Heero! What happened?" Quatre and Duo stood in front of us, and I remembered that Quatre was still a doctor. He was still, technically, on my case, and therefore he was on Relena's. End of discussion.

"She's been having pain, fevers, trouble sleeping and fatigue. She passed right out an hour ago with no warning."

Quatre put a hand on his chin, the perfect pose of thoughtfulness. "Any weight loss? Easy bruising?"

"Totally. She's got bruises all along her shoulders still from when Treize grabbed her at the club."

"That was almost a week ago…" Quatre fell silent again, taking a few steps back and sitting in the row of chairs facing us. He grimaced a few times, still looking at the floor, before Duo said what was one everyone's mind.

"So, what do you think it is?"

"I don't know. I mean, I have an idea, but it's just too… It really can't be. The chance is so small…"

"It's cancer, isn't it?" Quatre looked into Trowa's eyes before letting them dart away shyly, sorrowfully.

"It sounds that way. She has all the symptoms of Hodgkin's." Hilde gasped, putting her hands to her face, and Duo shot over into the chair next to hers, putting an arm around her. "It's one of the most curable types, but if she's had symptoms this long… I'm sorry. I'm not really this kind of doctor. It could be any number of things. I'm sure they'll get back to you soon."

Hilde nodded through tears, leaning into Duo's shoulder, and I saw him hiding and fighting the urge to be happy with her in his arms. We waited there for what seemed like an eternity, and so many different thoughts were running through my mind. Why was I so desperate to save her? Was it carry-over from my 'old life'? Or did I have feelings for her now, something tangible and new? She was beautiful and kinder than anyone I knew… I couldn't help but feel drawn to her, desperately drawn.

A doctor finally came out of the ward. "You're here with Relena Darlian?" We all nodded solemnly, and he looked down at his clipboard. "Well, we're going to have to move her upstairs. The good news is, we've got her stable, she's just asleep. Doesn't appear to have been any major trauma, but… it doesn't look promising. We've sent her blood and plasma out for testing, but we're suspecting some kind of Hodgkin's-type cancer or serious blood disease. I'm really sorry. The chances of her making a solid recover at this point are favorable, but questionable. We really won't know more until the morning, so I'd suggest you head home. She's just going to be sleeping, anyways." With that he nodded to us and continued back through the emergency ward doors, and I could tell the others were feeling the exact same things I was: panic, disorientation, fear and a feeling near to loathing, but for what, I didn't know.

What had someone like her done to deserve all this?


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Helloooo again! Here's another chapter. Please please pretty please do review, I haven't been getting many lately and I do really love them. Remember, the only recompense fanfiction writers really get is in the reviews!

For anyone who gets confused by the blurb at the beginning of this chapter: Don't worry. It all becomes clear soon.

-picimadar

**Forget Me Not**  
>Chapter 14<p>

* * *

><p>"So, you decided to come, after all."<p>

"Yes. I know how important it is to you to know about him, and I might be the best you could find. He doesn't have any living family, I don't think."

"What made you change your mind?"

"…. I could see you genuinely wanted to help him. I just… it's complicated, Dr. Winner."

"You can call me Quatre, please. Take a seat."

"Thank you. Now, what was it you wanted to know about Heero?"

* * *

><p>"You guys can stay with us, if you want," Trowa offered, and us three men shrugged.<p>

"I don't want to intrude. We don't want to intrude," Quatre corrected himself, scuffing the ground with a shoe.

"It's no problem. We've got the rooms, and the place is nicer on the inside, I swear." We all decided to get out of the cab, Duo and Hilde riding in another. The followed us in, and Hilde looked completely exhausted. In moments she was passed out on the couch, her head resting in Duo's lap, and he followed shortly after, snoring quietly.

"Well, that takes care of that. Why don't you take Hilde's room and Heero, there's Relena's room upstairs… Take the first one on the left; it's always clean as a whistle. I'll wake you up if anyone calls…. Although I guess they'll be calling you, huh?" I nodded, guessing that was probably the truth. "Alright. Goodnight, guys. Help yourself to whatever you want in the morning, I'll probably be gone before you get up." His door closed and Quatre sat down at the small kitchen table.

"You think she'll live?"

"Probably. She seems tough, and besides, it looks like it's been caught early enough. It's a very treatable cancer, Heero. People survive."

I nodded, staring at my clasped hands on the table.

"I've been talking to her, you know." I looked up at him now, curious and somewhat infuriated he hadn't told me sooner. "She's asked me not to tell you anything, yet, but she knows it's within my rights as your physician to tell you." He took a laptop out of the bag he'd brought and put it on the table in front of me. "This contains audio of our meetings over the past few days. You can listen to it, if you want, but I can't say you'll be happy with everything you hear." He took his hands off the computer, leaving it an open invitation. "A lot of it is potential trigger; you have to be prepared for repeats of what you experienced at Vandesande." He looked me in the eyes now, standing up from the table and pausing before heading off to his room. "Know this, though, Heero: She loves you more than anything I've ever seen. Don't forget that."

I sat at the table, stunned, before picking up the laptop in shaky hands. All the answers to my questions were right here in front of me, and I couldn't believe she'd said I could know everything. Picking up the computer, I handled it as though it were a newborn baby, carrying it upstairs and laying it down on the perfectly made bed before turning on the small bedside light.

The room was simple, but it had '_Relena'_ written all over it. Light blue curtains were held up by white ribbons away from the windows, the bed a cast iron frame, intricate and antique, painted white. The walls were a sandy beige, and the whole effect was peaceful, like a beach. I sat on the carpeted floor and opened the laptop, searching through it as I looked for the files Quatre had specified. Findign it, I opened the first one.

"So you decided to come, after all," it started, and I listened, enthralled. She told him how we had met, and I paused the audio clip, ready to lay in the fetal position on the floor, but the memory came easier this time, simpler, like a luscious wave of relaxation brushing over my mind, and I remembered it seamlessly. I'd been new to Vandesande, and the teacher had sat me next to Relena, the two of us sharing a bench. I had loved her from that day for years, and I knew she felt the same for me. The other stories felt similar, doused and soaked in familiarity, as she told him about high school, our times in the city, graduation, my father's death and what little I had told her about my childhood.

Although I felt like I remembered what she described, I knew it could just be wishful thinking. I paused the audio again and sat back a bit, thinking, and couldn't pull up any visual reminder of some of the events. That wasn't what bothered me the most, though; nothing in the videos told me anything about her. I remembered everything about my own life, everything as it related to me, but I still knew next to nothing about her, the woman I had loved.

Unpausing the audio for the last time, I leaned back and spyed a long, dark box underneath Relena's high bed. I knew it was wrong to look at her things, but curiosity overwhelmed me, and I guiltily pulled it out. It was labeled simply '2006-2010', and I knew that those dates overlapped our relationship. Pulling it completely out onto the carpet in front of me, absent-mindedly listening to more of the conversation between Quatre and Relena, and I took the lid off the box.

It was like it had been lifting the lid on Pandora's box. The first thing I saw were dozens of photos, some bundled together, some in books, some loose, a few in nice frames. I picked one up but looked away quickly, knowing sight could be a massive trigger, and the middle of the night wasn't the time to try messing with my mind any more than I was.

Buried beneath the pictures were dozens and dozens of letters, handwritten, and mostly addressed to me. I took off the binding string and opened the first letter just as I heard Quatre ask, "Do you think he loved you?". I looked up at the computer briefly, and Relena sniffled before responding "Once.". This only strengthened my resolve: after all, how could I have fallen out of love with someone like Relena? Impossible. The first letter was fluffy and smelled like Relena's cucumbery-floral scent, and I read it were dozens more like it, and I read them all, ignoring the passing time on the clock, the envelopes falling to the floor.

The letters followed a disturbing trend, as did her confessions with Quatre; the longer I stayed away, the more distant I had become, more wrapped up in my work, to the point that I stopped responding to her letters and seemed to ignore them altogether. My eyes were watering by the final letter, in which she seemed to dismiss me completely; apologizing for something I knew couldn't have been her fault. What was wrong with me? How could I have pushed her away? What had she done, that I'd fallen away from her so quickly?

I thought about that. None of her letters had contained anything about her problems with her parents, and certainly nothing about her health. Had she been hiding it from me? She kept saying she couldn't stand embarrassing me; had she thought that if she were poor, I wouldn't love her?

The next stack was held together with a paperclip, dozens of sheets of paper calling out to be read, and I did. I realized they must be chat logs between the two of us. For the most part, they were mundane, daily occurrences and Relena's chattiness coming through more than in the letters, but they followed the same trend; eventually, the communications became our only means of speaking, and then stopped abruptly.

Tears were flowing openly now, and I was glad I was the only one on the top floor. "Relena…" I said to myself, and I had to hold back a sob. I had hurt her so much, and she had kept so much back, terrified of dragging me down with her troubles. "What couldn't you have just told me?" Putting down the chat logs, I moved onto the final bit: the photos.

There were dozens, maybe a hundred, almost all of Relena and myself. My friends, my father's visits, my sports meets and my time as Valedictorian, it all came flooding back to me like someone was downloading the information straight into my brain. So many memories came at once, they felt jumbled, and I let myself lie back on the floor, breathing shallowly, hoping I wouldn't be in pain. There was pain, of course, but it wasn't in my brain; my heart ached for the mistakes I'd made, how much I'd hurt the woman I loved.

I did love her; of that much, I was entirely certain. It didn't matter what I remembered. It didn't matter what I did and did not know about her, or anything else. I knew I loved her.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: So close to the end now! I'm almost sad to watch it end, and I wrote this so long ago... My creations are like my babies!

Read and review, please and thanks!  
>-picimadar<p>

**Forget Me Not**  
>Chapter 15<p>

I don't know how long I lay that way, but I must have fallen asleep. Quatre came to wake me up and stood over me as I looked up at him, bleary-eyed, tears surely staining my face, my jacket wrinkled, my body feeling like that of a 60-year-old from sleeping on the floor all night.

"Anything come back to you?" He passed me a mug of coffee, which I took greedily.

"A lot, but not everything."

"What seems to be the biggest hole? Is there any memory you truly miss? Is there something you know you _should_ remember, but don't?" He sat on the edge of the bed, waiting.

"I don't remember anything about her. I know she's nice and pretty, but I don't remember anything about what she likes. Her favorite music, flowers, books, nothing. I know I love her; I know she deserves for me to love her, but I don't know how. I don't know how I know."

"But can you live with that? It is enough to know that you had a relationship like that, once?" He looked at me, smiled, and shook his head. "I didn't think so. You're not going to give her up, are you?" It was my turn to shake my head.

"Never again."

"You have to respect her wishes, you know. She may still want to be apart from you. Could you deal with that?"

My choice had already been made. "I need her. I love her. I know she loves me, too."

Duo burst in the room, as if on cue. "She's awake. They want us in there right away." We were in the car in seconds, and somehow the trip to the hospital still felt as though it took hours. Trowa checked us in, and we went up to Relena's room.

It was empty.

"What the fuck?" Duo shouted, and a nurse came over, rolling her eyes.

"Can I help you?" She was chewing gum, loudly, and it was grating on my nerves.

"Yes. We're looking for Relena Darlian?"

"Oh, her. Lovely thing, such a shame… she checked herself out twenty minutes ago. You must have just missed her!" Hilde sighed, threw her hands in the air and walked away, Duo following after.

"Where could she have gone? Fuck, we must have drove right past her." Trowa followed after Hilde and Duo, and I assumed they were going back to their place to wait for her, or hope she was there. I knew she wouldn't be.

"What are you going to do, Heero?" Quatre looked me over, knowingly, and I sighed.

"I know where to find her. I'll bring her home." I walked out of the hospital and watched the others speed off. I got a cab in the other direction. "Central Park. Take me in the east side." The driver nodded, and I felt a sweat break out on my forehead. What if she wanted to be left alone? What if I got there and she really was just gone?

My fears abated once I stepped out of the cab and smelled spring in the air. It was nearly May, now, and the park was in full bloom, not a cloud in the sky. The sun was shining, kids were playing, and I realized why this was one of Relena's favorite places on Earth. Walking along a path, I finally reached the lake, and there, sitting in a bench, was the angel herself.

She sat for a while, watching the water, her hands in her lap, still wearing plain clothes, and I couldn't fathom how she felt. Even when she had known I could take care of her, that the doctors could treat her, she had run away. I walked up to the bench, slowly, and once I got within her peripheral she looked up, those eyes radiating the same color as the sky, gasped, turned and nearly ran away.

"Relena," I choked out, and she stopped. "Relena, please. Don't go." She was looking at me now, and she allowed me to walk closer to her. "Relena, don't run away from me. Please, let me help you." Her eyes threatened tears, as did mine, and she must have been able to tell how much I knew from the sound of my voice.

"Heero," she whispered, and she fell into my arms. It was as though she filled a void in me that had been empty so long if threatened to consume me. She fit perfectly into my grasp, and as she looked into my eyes, I kissed her. It was just as I had dreamed, her mouth soft and her lips pressing against mine perfectly. She attacked me with the same fervor, her arms wrapping around my neck. I don't know how long we stayed that way, but when we parted I immediately craved more.

"Heero… how? How did you…" she was at a loss for words, I could tell, torn.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I practically wanted to cry and slap her at the same time for keeping her life so apart from mine. "Why didn't you tell me what happened? I could have helped you. I could have saved you from all this."

"I tried, but you were so… you were so far away. I didn't know what else to do. I felt like you didn't want anything to do with me." She looked away.

"That could never be true, Relena. I may have been that way once, but I'll never do that again. I love you." The words left my mouth for the first time I could remember, and I hoped it would be burned into my memory.

"Heero, please." She was pushing me away now, and I felt myself panic.

"Tell me what I did," I finally demanded. "Tell me what I did, and I'll fix it. I swear to god."

"It wasn't you… I came to visit you, after I left Columbia. I had a little money left, and I flew into Tokyo. I didn't tell you I was coming, it was supposed to be a surprise." She walked a bit, and I followed, careful not to let her leave arms-length. "When I got there, someone was waiting for me. She told me that you didn't want me anymore, that I was… an embarrassment to you." She practically spat the words, her eyes overflowing with tears again, and it broke my heart. "She gave me all the letters and told me to turn around and go home, and I did. I thought she must be your girlfriend, or a lawyer…"

"Dorothy Catalonia," I gritted out, and she nodded.

"Yes, that was her. Heero…. Did you send her? Was it true?"

"Of course not. That bitch… she was obsessed with me." Of all the things to remember, it had to be something that seemed this unimportant, but once Relena reminded me of her, once I said her name, it all came back to me. "I don't know how she found out about you, but I never sent her. I couldn't have known you were coming, like you said…. Relena, I would never have turned you away. " I stepped up to her again, wrapping my hand around the back of her head, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear with the other.

"I hoped… but when the tsunami happened, I thought you'd died. You just disappeared altogether, and when you showed up here in New York… you didn't even know me." She smiled up at me, ashamed. "I thought it was the perfect solution. If you didn't know me at all, then I could free you from all my problems. I never wanted you to get drawn back in…"

"Well, I guess it's a little late for that, isn't it?" I whirled around, and Treize was there behind me. "So, this is the mystery man, hmm? I'm sad Dorothy couldn't tempt you away. I'll have to have words with her, later."

"Dorothy works for you?" I was incredulous, but it all seemed to make sense. She must have shown up just as Relena's parents had died. "Why chase me away? I have all the money you could ask for."

Treize smiled, and I knew we were in deep trouble. "Oh, you silly rich men. It's not money I'm after." Someone hit me from behind, and everything went black.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: SECOND LAST CHAPTER WOO!

I'm actually considering writing an alternate ending/maybe epilogue? to this story. I wrote it about 6 months ago, and I've recently realized I'm not really happy with this ending, but can use the alternative ideas for other stories as well... Well, let me know what you think! Enjoy!  
>-picimadar<p>

**Forget Me Not**  
>Chapter 16<p>

"Heero. Heero wake up, please." Relena's voice was a mere hiss, a whisper, and when I opened my eyes I could barely see her. "Oh, god. Are you okay? Heero, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." Crying. She was crying. My eyes adjusted slowly, and when I tried to move I realized I was bound tightly, my arms behind my back.

"Stop apologizing and tell me what the hell happened." My head was killing me. What a goddamn change of pace.

"Treize took us. He pretended you'd fainted and put you in a cab and he told me if I didn't come, he'd kill us both. God, Heero, what are we going to do?"

I had no idea, but I couldn't show her I was afraid. "What does he want?"

She swallowed hard. "Me."

"What?" I shifted closer to her, the ropes on my wrists burning into my skin, but I tried not to complain. The woman next to me was dying, fainted the day before, and she looked more determined than ever. I looked at the door, but she shook her head.

"Not yet. Look around." I did as she said, and realized there were lab tables, chemicals and plants everywhere.

"Grow op?' I asked, and she shook her head again.

"Better. Meth lab, at the least." She started pulling at her wrists, slowly sliding her hands under her butt and legs.

"Don't overdo it." Even the effort of getting her arms to the right side was taxing on her, and she panted as she pulled the ropes over her shoes.

"It's okay. Tell me they didn't take your phone." She pulled at the ropes with her teeth, loosening them until her hands were finally free. Rubbing her wrists, I could see they were red and blistered like mine probably were, and I got angry.

"I think it's still in my pocket. What's this fucker's problem? Why you?"

"I told you. My parents owed him a lot of money." Something rattled behind the door, and we both fell silent, barely breathing. "They must have been buying off him since before I was born, with the amount they owe. They didn't have any life insurance," she said, rifling through my pant pockets, "so I couldn't pay him when he came to collect. He offered me two options: be his plaything, or pay him back." She fiddled with the camera quietly, turning it silent and I realized, as she walked around slowly, that she was taking pictures.

"What are you doing? Call the damn police or something, Christ!"

"Relax. I'll call them in a minute. This is more important."

"More important? They're going to kill me, and you know it." She looked at me and almost rolled her eyes. "What are you fucking laughing at? Get me out of these ropes and let's get out of here!"

"Treize is a coward, Heero. He can't even be bothered to twist my arm to get paid, why would he kill you? People would know you're missing, and he'd get screwed. Relax, my love." The words on her lips calmed me instantly, mostly because I couldn't believe she'd said them. She dialed a number that was distinctly not 911, and I started panicking again. "Yes, it's me. We're in Treize's place, basement. Yep, looking at it right now. Digital okay? It's the best I could get. Well, get over here then! Okay. I have to go." Footsteps echoed down the hall, and Relena shoved my phone into her shirt before sitting down next to me, her hands behind her back.

The door opened and the light blinded both of us. "What's with all the fuckin' talking?" It was some man I'd never seen before, burly and ugly as hell. "You two better shut up if you know what's good for you. Treize wants you in good shape, gorgeous." He reached a hand out to touch Relena, but someone stopped him.

"Now, now, Martin. You can't get handsy with Treize's little pet. You know how he is with these things." The voice made me nauseous, and Relena looked about ready to kill. Dorothy stepped around the bigger man and squatted down in front of us. "Well, don't you two look pleased." She giggled slightly, and I couldn't believe Relena hadn't just reached out and strangled her to death already. This woman was responsible for the worst misunderstanding of my life, at least that I could remember. I wanted to kill her myself. "Now, don't be like that. Look at it this way; Relena gets to go free and have whatever she wants, live like the little princess she did all those years ago, and you get me! Come on, the Japanese _love_ me. It'll be so much fun!"

"Go to hell," I growled, and she laughed again, walking away from us slightly. "Oh, honey. You haven't changed at all, have you? It's really a shame you remembered so much. It would have been so much easier if you hadn't." She leveled a gun at me, and I slowly took in that her and Treize must have been working together… but for how long? "Treize is my cousin, you see, and I'll do anything for my family. Besides, my cut of the deal isn't half bad, even without you sweetening it up for me."

"What deal?" Relena said, backing up farther against the wall, and I wondered what was taking whoever she had called so long. Being on the wrong end of the gun wasn't my idea of a good time.

"You really thought your parents had nothing, sweetheart?" Keeping the gun aimed at me, she looked down on Relena almost sadly. "You're old money, honey. Your father left you the world on a gold platter, and we want that. Sadly, his will seemed to go missing upon his death, which means all that money's just rotting away in the bank. Fortunately," she said, pulling a sheet out of her jacket pocket, "I seem to have found it. Imagine that!"

"You give me that right now!" Relena jumped up and snatched the paper from Dorothy, who backed away, startled.

"How in the hell did you-"

"What is going on down here, Dorothy?" The bastard himself walked down the stairs, another man accompanying him. "Well, what do we have here? You always were too smart for your own good, Relena. Smarter than your father, for certain."

Relena backed away from him, and I squirmed in my bonds again, desperate to get free. "You don't know anything about my father."

"I know that how he died was no accident. He did owe me a great deal, Relena, but he would never pay me when he wanted to protect you. All that money's away in bonds and trusts now, and unfortunately I have no access without your consent." He walked toward her again now, predatory, putting one hand on the wall next to her head. "So, be a good girl and give me that will, and we'll head right on down to the justice of the peace today, okay?"

"Like hell we will." She wanted to spit on him, I could tell just from the look on her face. She looked at me out of the corner of her eye as I stared at her.

"If you come with me now, I can promise nothing will happen to him. Think about it, Relena. You'll get to do whatever you please, live large, just like you always wanted." Treize was crooning now, acting as though it was as easy as convincing a child to eat their vegetables. I knew her better than that.

"Not going to happen, Treize." Relena finally said, and her demeanor had changed.

"Why in the fuck not?" he demanded, furious, hitting the brick wall behind her head hard. Suddenly voices and shouts were heard upstairs, dozens of men pouring into the house.

"NYPD, put your hands up, now!" They were dressed in black, armed to the teeth; definitely a SWAT team, to say the least. Dorothy dropped her gun, putting up her hands, and Treize's men did the same.

"You've got nothing on me," Treize said, turning to the men and smiling. "I don't even own this property. I was just coming here to rescue Miss Relena here and her… companion."

Relena smiled, walking past Treize and pulling the phone out of her shirt. She played with it for a moment before it parroted "_You don't know anything about my father… I know how he died was no accident." _ She was practically beaming now. "Sounds like an admission of guilt, to me. How about you, detective?"

A young man in plainclothes came up and took the phone from her. "Sounds about right. Boys, take him in, give him his rights." He looked to Relena and I again. "Good job, Miss Darlian. I'm gonna have to keep this for a while, process it. You two alright? I should book them in."

"We'll be fine, I think." Relena said, and she knelt down beside me, took my head in her hands and kissed me full on the mouth.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: *sniff sniff* Last chapter! As I said in the last one, really do tell me what you think. I'm not sure about it; there's a bit that's not resolved. Maybe it's not cathartic enough. Maybe I'm thinking about it too much XD

Read, enjoy, and review, as always. I appreciate it.  
>-picimadar<p>

**Forget Me Not**  
>Chapter 17<p>

"So. Do I even wanna know what's really going on here?" Relena laughed at my question as we somewhat stumbled up the stairs and out into the lobby of Treize's brownstone.

"I swear, my life generally isn't this interesting." Several uniformed officers congratulated her, patting her on the back. "Then again, I guess you knew that." Looking at the floor, Relena, I could tell, was hurting. "You read the letters. You found that box in my room."

"Yes." It was all I could think to say. I knew I'd invaded her privacy. I thought I'd known enough, but truly it appeared I'd known next to nothing. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" She looked at me now, that same expression on her face. "Are you, really? Do you wish you hadn't known any of this? Because honestly… I couldn't blame you. I couldn't tell anyone, and…" She swallowed, looking away from me. "I'd always suspected he'd killed my parents. They just… they were so good to me. They took care of me, worked with charities… they just weren't addicts. It all seemed too convenient, and after Dorothy told me you didn't want me… I just had nothing left to lose, trying." She was crying again now, and I reached out and brushed her tears away. "I had no idea she was in on it. I thought… you were involved."

"Fuck, no," I said, and she sputtered out a laugh. "Relena, I don't know what happened to me. I guess we just grew apart. I got so attached to everything there, that I forgot about my life here. It took me coming back to learn how important it is." I smiled at her and kissed her on the forehead warmly. "I want you, Relena. I never stopped wanting you." She wrapped her arms around me, and I felt her tears leak through the collar of my shirt. "It's okay. You're safe now, and you still have the will." Her hand clenched around the paper, pulling my closer. "It's going to be okay."

"I know. I know."

A car drove haphazardly onto the lawn, and though I'd yet to see it since my accident, I still knew Duo's driving anywhere. "Sir, you can't be here! Hey!" The police tried to stop them, but Relena was already out of my arms, barreling into Hilde, taking them both down onto the grass.

"We got him! We got him!" she kept yelling, and her and Hilde were laughing hysterically.

"Finally," Trowa said, himself, Duo and Quatre coming up to me, watching the two women. "I hated watching her do this."

"You knew?"

"Of course I did. She lives with me, we had the right to know. We didn't know it'd come to this though. Sorry."

"No worries. Did you know she was sick?"

"No." It sobered up the moment considerably, but I had to know. "She never told us… The doctor released her records to us while we were waiting for you to come back."

"Yes, I've got them in the car still, actually." Quatre looked at me, and I was glad he didn't look completely depressed. That generally meant good news. "She had another episode similar to this one back in 2009; she was supposed to be treated but couldn't pay for it. She was lucky, and it looked to have spontaneously regressed. That's probably why you didn't notice anything until more recently."

"So that means it's back, then." Duo was still watching Hilde, who was sitting next to Relena now, holding her, the two of them chatting quietly.

"Yes, but it's so treatable, she'll be fine."

"You're positive?" Trowa looked worried, one of his few displays of emotion darting across his face briefly.

"Yes. The chemo might be hard on her, and she'll need rest, but she'll be fine."

We all breathed what was a collective sigh of relief, happy to know that everything was, as it turned out, going to be fine.

"So what happened with you two, then?" Duo was eying me again, that sense of timing still not quite on track.

"None of your damn business," I said, and the three men just laughed at me.

"Oh, that good, huh? So, you two gonna get back together, or what?"

I looked back at him briefly before staring back at her. Relena was looking at me, too, and our eyes met. "That's not up to me, it's up to her." Walking over to where the two women sat, I offered them each a hand, pulling them up off the grass. "You two ready to get out of here?"

"Yeah. I'm actually starving." Relena grabbed her flat belly to demonstrate, and I realized how much weight she'd lost, even in the amount of time I'd 'known' her.

"I think I know just the place," I said, and the two girls smiled, climbing into the car.

"Hey, where the fuck are you taking my goddamn car!" I smiled and waved out the window before we drove off, stranding the other guys. By the time they caught up with us at Mel's, Duo was pale with panic. "If anything happened to my baby, I'll murder you, Yuy."

"Nothing happened. Sit down and shut up." The six of us ate, mostly quiet, trying still to recover from the events of the day. Trowa's phone rang and he excused himself, leaving for work.

"I should go, too. The doctor will want these back. Now, Miss Relena," Quatre said, looking at the young woman, "you have to promise me you'll go in first thing tomorrow. Promise." She nodded, half smiling.

"I promise, doctor. Thank you, for everything."

Duo and Hilde were already off in their own world, sitting at the bar talking, laughing every once in a while, and I was happy for him. Looking back at Relena, I wondered if the two of us had ever been like that.

"Heero," she breathed, and it instantly captivated me. "I'm so sorry for not telling you, before." She took a hand of mine in hers, running her fingertips along my skin. "You were so busy all the time, so burdened after your dad died, and I couldn't stand adding to it. After my mom and dad died, I got into all this trouble with Treize, and then later I got sick… I was so scared. I didn't know how much time I had left, and I had to see you, which is when Dorothy told me to just come home. I was so stupid to believe her. I just knew…" She looked away from me now, letting go of my hand.

"You knew I couldn't stop loving you," I finished for her, and Relena's eyes met mine again, hopeful.

"I hoped not. I couldn't blame you, if it had been true, but I couldn't believe that you'd just walked away. When you showed up back here I thought maybe you'd come back for me, and then you didn't even know my name. It was the perfect way to let you choose, again. I didn't mean for you to find all those letters and things."

Leaned across the table and kissed her. "I made my choice a long time ago, Relena. It isn't any different. Even when I couldn't remember, I dreamed about you. I knew you from the moment I laid eyes on you. I knew that I loved you." I took her hands, watching her eyes well up again, glad they were tears of happiness and not sorrow. "I don't know… I can't remember a lot, Relena. I couldn't tell you what your favorite flower is, or your birthdate, or favorite color, but I know I love you."

Smiling at me, she jumped over the narrow table and kissed me again and again. "I love you, Heero. I love you so much. Never forget that."

I knew I never could.

**The End.**


End file.
